shuichi's chickabiddy
by tohma is grumpy
Summary: an ad for adoption leads shuichi to his biggest decision ever. can he raise a child, with what little help the skeptical yuki has to offer? can he handle what's buried deep within his chickabiddy? a story of family and how hard it is to earn that rank.
1. Someone he loves…

**shuichi's chickabiddy**   
**chapter 1**   
--   
rating: R   
pairings: yuki X shuichi, ??   
warnings: random lime will pop up where you least expect it. very slight angst, for me, at least. child abuse. baby sitting ryuichi. the normal stuff.   
archiving: if you want to, contact me first...   
extra info: as i write this, i have four other fan fictions i need to finish, but i don't care. the idea of writing with children appeals to me, and i like this story line as much or more than most of my other ones. i will finish them, soon, even, i just need to get my priorities straight... 

desc: a commercial for adoption leads shuichi to his biggest decision ever. can he raise a child, with what little help the skeptical yuki has to offer? can he handle what's buried deep within his chickabiddy? a story of family and how hard it is to the rank.   
-- 

"Ah – YUKI!" Shuichi forgot any attempts to bite back his cries as he reached climax, spilling his essence into Yuki's hand as the writer groaned above him, also in release. 

As they had every night, the lover's tense bodies relaxed, Yuki wrapping Shuichi into his arms. Both of them took in deep breaths, winded by their lovemaking and exhausted. It was three in the morning, and they'd been going on since midnight. 

Not constantly, of course, but as it was a Saturday and nobody had to work the following day, they had time for something extra on these nights. Shuichi laid his head on Yuki's chest, listening to the man breathe and reveling in how he moved up and down slowly with the action. Lifting a slender arm, he trailed his finger in a circle right below Yuki's collarbone. 

Yuki gave a little grunt. "Hey – stop that. Go to sleep." 

Here, Shuichi could have chosen to either shut up and move away from Yuki, close to tears, or to stick his tongue out and talk nonstop for a few minutes. 

Shuichi stuck his tongue out. 

"You know, Yuki, that's the way you always are, 'bla bla bla I'm going to fuck you a few times then ignore you completely because you're just my little baka toy and you are fun to play with until /I/ am tired and then you aren't even allowed to enjoy my presence because I am such a mean mean person and I hate you Shuichi!' that's what you say, and you know what, I say the same thing because maybe someday I'll be a mean mean person and you'll be the one whimpering and hoping for some affection. Oh Yuki what am I saying? I love you, I won't be mean to you Yuki, Yuki are you listening Yuki?" 

With a groan, Yuki put his hand to his temples and rubbed furiously. "Yes, yes, I am, sadly." 

"Well?" 

"Well what?" 

"Well I'm right, aren't I? You hate me." 

"That's right, now go to sleep." 

"Ah, Yuki," Shuichi giggled nasally. He wrapped his arms around the slim neck and nuzzled. "I love you." 

"Yeah," Yuki replied lazily. 

When a few moments had passed and the singer was mewling like a kitten in his sleep, Yuki shifted his weight a little and put his arms around Shuichi in return. He knew that by the time Shuichi woke up he would have moved and thrashed around enough so that the little baka would never know Yuki had bothered. 

This was good, though. And Yuki smiled through the darkness, content as he was. 

-- 

Shuichi awoke to the thick smell of bacon and the sizzling of a frying pan. He grinned, sitting up like a flash and throwing the blankets off the bed. Stark naked, he jumped down, making it halfway out the door before he realized he needed clothes. Not only were there possibly tabloids lurking outside the windows, but normal, healthy minded people wore clothes around the house, and Shuichi was slowly starting to learn this. 

Instead of getting dressed, though, he shrugged, strutting into the bathroom and turning on the water. After a few minutes of lathering up his hair, he heard someone enter the room. Smugly, he turned the water down a bit. 

"Yuki?" 

"Shuichi, there's food for you on the table." 

Shuichi's heart sank as he poked his head out of the curtain to see Yuki leaving. "Yuki?" 

"What?" the blond didn't even turn around. Shuichi pouted. 

"Want to come in here?" he asked lightly, trying to sound seductive. 

"I already showered," came the reply, and the door closed heavily. Shuichi blinked, the water dripping down his face inclining him to cry. He didn't, though, and turned the water back up. While rinsing his hair, he sighed; he was disappointed in being alone and had to force himself to understand why. Yuki just didn't want to get in the shower again. It made sense. 

/Then why do I feel so lonely?/ 

He finished up his shower quickly, barely even cleaning himself, then hopped out, slipping on the floor and bruising his side as he rushed to get dry and dressed. Yuki had made breakfast and he wasn't going to miss it. 

"YU-KIIIII!" he cried merrily, hopping into the kitchen draped in an oversized shirt. Sniffing around, he spotted bacon and took a piece, opening his mouth to eat it. He looked around, blinking. Quite suddenly he put down the greasy food and whimpered. 

"Yuki?" 

He was gone. It took a moment of silence, the kind of silence that echoes through a house and one's mind, before Shuichi realized. Yuki'd gone out somewherewithout saying goodbye. 

Now Shuichi cried. 

He flopped down onto the couch, crying and flailing his arms and legs and screaming like a three year old having a temper tantrum. He beat his fists down on the cushions, wailing and sobbing, wetness flowing like a river from his eyes and nose. After five minutes of such behavior he calmed down, sniffling pathetically into his arms and lying flat on his stomach, stretched out on the couch, his rear hanging out from under the shirt he wore. In his haste, it was all he had put on – the shirt. Wiping his nose, he yanked the tails down and sat up, sinking cross legged into the soft folds of the pillows, grabbing the remote control and flipping on the T.V. in hopes that maybe Yuki was on some talk show. 

/Then I can see him,/ he thought stubbornly. 

"Ohayoo, Tokyo!" The happy, bouncy haired host cried. "Please stay tuned – a word with the hit writer Yuki Eiri after some announcements from our sponsors!" 

SHOCKU! 

"YUKIIIII you're on T.V. and you didn't TELL MEEEEEE!" Shuichi threw another fit, the surprise that he had been right filtering out with his childish temper tantrum number two. After a full thirty seconds of screaming and flailing, Shuichi forced himself to calm down and watch the show. It was commercials. Good, he thought, now I have to WAIT for Yuki to show up. 

"-need your help," a sad lady was saying. Shuichi blinked as pictures of little children appeared on the screen. 

"They are waiting eagerly for a home, and a family. Help make their dreams come true," the lady continued. Shuichi was surprised to find that her words were moving him to tears. The children were smiling and happy. It showed a child being lifted into a man's strong arms, beaming happily and hugging him around the neck. 

"These children have never known a mother or father. They were abandoned or given up for adoption at birth. Please, if you can find the room in your heart for another, stop by your adoption agency today and find out how you can make a difference." 

"I want to help," Shuichi told the T.V miserably. He chewed on the edge of a pillow, tears streaming down his cheeks. He wished he had Yuki to hug and cry into. Instead, he clung to his pillow, after a while giving up on chewing it and simply sucking his thumb instead. The show was back on. 

"Please welcome – Yuki Eiri!" 

The fangirls screamed as loud as they would at a concert as Yuki slumped out on stage. 

"He's not THAT great," Shuichi said angrily, face turning red from jealousy. He wanted to be one of those screaming fangirls in the audience. Ah, Yuki. 

"Yorosiku," Yuki commented lightly, sitting down in the chair they gave him and looking very uncomfortable. The bouncy haired girl sat down next to him. 

"We're very glad to have you with us today, Yuki-san! Now," she said to the audience, "we have a special treat that Yuki-san has agreed to! Later in the show, if your number is called, you can come down for a kiss with the most romantic man in all of Japan!" 

Shuichi's jaw dropped. "WHAAAAT?!" 

The audience was rocketing and jumping and screaming and falling all over the place. Shuichi thought his speakers would burst. He could see the look on Yuki's face. It was smug, but annoyed. Yuki hated loud things. 

"Hmph," Shuichi grunted, annoyed to hell, but somewhat subdued. The commercial had put him off his edge. Kids with no families – what the hell was wrong with the world? As mad as he was at Yuki, the feeling in the pit of his stomach wouldn't go away. 

"What's the title of your next novel going to be, Yuki-san?" 

"I don't know. The publisher normally names them, not me. The editor said they were considering the title 'NICE', but it's not final." 

"'NICE'? What significance does this have to the plot?" 

"Nothing. The titles never do. They are just supposed to be eye catchers." 

"I see." Bouncy haired girl was somewhat taken aback. Shuichi stuck his tongue out at the T.V. 

The audience was whimpering for attention and finally, the host decided to take questions. A girl stood up. 

"Um Yuki-san?! Why did you kill off Judy?! I cried for HOURS! It was so sad – she should have stayed with Rich in the first place, but it was so sad! Why was it so sad." She sat down, twittering like a baby bird to her friends about the romantic way Yuki looked at her. 

Yuki looked like he was going to kill something. "Because she was annoying. He was better off without her, and she cheated on him anyway. Besides, it's just fiction." 

The audience murmured at this, and Shuichi was completely clueless. He'd never read any of Yuki's novels, because they were sappy and gross and mushy. Shuichi was grossed out by girls who acted sappy and gross and mushy. 

Someone else stood up. "UM YUKI I LOVE YOU I HOPE I'M THE ONE WHO GETS TO KISS YOU!!!?!!!!!! PLEASE?!!!!!!! I'VE LOVED YOU SINCE I WAS TWELVE AND YOU'RE UM REALLY HOT AND STUFF SO LIKE-" 

"Next!" Bouncy cried. The girl who had been talking burst into tears and sat down. A quiet girl wearing glasses stood, nerdishly pushing the frames up her nose and coughing. 

"Are you and Shindo-san of BAD LUCK still together?" she mumbled quietly. The audience's whispers rose to a dull roar before quieting into silence as Yuki opened his mouth to answer. Shuichi was beside himself. /What if he says no? What if he says no or says he hates me on T.V.? What will I do?!/ Biting the pillow again, Shuichi turned up the volume to listen. 

"We are," Yuki said with a slight smile. The girls were on the edges of their seats waiting to hear more, but Yuki left it at that and closed his eyes, content with his short answer. 

Another stood up. "Why don't you break up with him?!" she shrieked hysterically. 

"Excuse me?" Yuki blinked, a little surprised at this. 

"You should break up with him – it's been like, a year or two! Maybe someone else wants a chance!" 

Some other girls were now whispering their agreement to what she was saying. Yuki's face was unreadable. Shuichi's eyes were dinner plates. 

"Um…" said the host. It was obvious she hadn't meant for the interview to delve so deeply into Yuki's personal life. It looked like she wanted to cut the cameras, but Yuki stood up. Now it was obvious what his expression was. 

Rage. 

"You want me?" he said angrily, but still calmly, at the girl. "Why? Do you know me?" 

"I…" she was speechless. "I…someone…who…writes such novels…must be…" 

"You don't know me," Yuki growled. "You honestly expect me to break up with someone I love because some pathetic TEENAGE FANGIRL wants a CHANCE at me?! For nothing – for nothing other than my novels and looks? 

"I'm a little bit better than that," he finished solidly, sitting down again. "And if you people are my real fans, you wouldn't insult me by saying things like what that girl just said." 

It had passed in an instant, but Shuichi had caught it, kept it, and was holding it hostage. He clung tighter to the pillow, tears streaming down his face. 

Someone he loves…? 

--   
to be continued.   
-- 

follow the arrow and click, onegai shimasu.   
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	2. What have I done?

**shuichi's chickabiddy**   
**chapter 2**

-- 

Shuichi waited in the kitchen, knawing on the cold, greasy bacon. The show had ended half an hour ago. The glasses girl had won and Yuki respectfully gave her a kiss on the cheek. She'd blushed. 

He didn't let himself get jealous. He was too distracted. The commercial for the adoption agency had come on again and he was feeling a little sick about it. Although the kids were living an okay life with all the other kids, they had no families, no real brothers or sisters, and only teachers and aids to keep them well. They were there for a reason; they were mistakes, incompetent people abandoned them, or incompetent people got arrested and left them alone. They almost all had a bad story behind them, and they were paid for their pain by a life without family. Some of the kids were teenagers. They'd been there their entire lives. 

The more Shuichi thought about it, the more he really wanted to help. He doubted Yuki wanted to adopt a kid – he doubted he himself wanted to adopt a kid. He knew Yuki would come home from the show and leave again for a doctor's appointment. 

And he planned to visit the kids. Just to find a way to help. 

The door opened, and there was a low, murmured, "Tadaima." 

"Yuki!" Shuichi squealed. "Okaeri." He stumbled over, wrapping his arms around the other's neck. Delicately, he pecked a kiss and smiled. "Where did you go?" 

Yuki was a bit taken aback. "Where – oh…well, I was on a talk show." 

"Oh! Was it fun?" 

"No…I thought maybe you'd have watched." The disappointment in Yuki's voice was obvious, although he tried to hide it. "The girls were annoying." 

"Girls?" 

"Yes. I had to kiss one." 

Shuichi feigned a look of hurt shock. "Yuki…!" 

"Publicity, you'll probably do it too someday." 

"Never!" 

"Fine." 

Shuichi giggled as Yuki tried to push him off. 

"Shuichi, I can't walk with you draped all over me like this." Giddily, Shuichi swung his legs up, pressing them against Yuki's chest. The writer stumbled, putting his arms under the boy, grumbling as Shuichi nuzzled his neck. 

"Carry me!" 

"Shuichi, I have a doctor's appointment soon." 

"I don't care. Why did you want me to watch the show?" 

There was a pause, and Shuichi could feel Yuki's heart. It was a moment or two before he answered. 

"Because I don't know." 

"Oh." Shuichi hopped down from Yuki's arms, gave him another peck on the cheek, and then walked towards the hall. "Gonna call Hiro." 

"Fine," Yuki said again. He went into the bedroom and closed the door. 

Happy for no real reason at all, Shuichi hopped to the phone and dialed Hiro. 

Ring. 

Ring. 

Ring. 

Ring. 

"Hi. You've called Nakano's number. If you're Ayaka, call me back later. If you're Shuichi, come over later. Anybody else, if I'm not here I am busy somewhere else or asleep. Probably asleep. Leave a message unless it's pointless." Beeeeeep. 

Shuichi had been mouthing along with the recording he knew too well, and didn't leave a message. After hanging up, he dwelled on it, then thought of another number. 

Ring. 

Ring. 

"Moshi moshi na no da!" 

"Sakuma-san!" Shuichi yipped happily. "Want to go out with me?" 

"Aren't you going out with Yuki?" 

"I mean to a PLACE!!!" 

"OH!" Ryuichi giggled. "Sure - we can go to a place!" 

Which is how they ended up in front of the adoption agency half an hour later. 

It was a nice looking establishment, definatly not what Shuichi'd pictured in his mind - a horrible, crumbling brick building with a witchy lady brandishing a stick and cowering children huddeled under barred windows. Instead, there was a nun watching over some young kids, who were playing on a swingset that was settled amongst cropped, green glass. No crying or whips. They seemed happy enough. 

"This is a cute place!" Ryuichi squealed, hugging Kumagoro to his chest. "You told me it might be terrible!" 

Shuichi mumbled and grumbled, ignoring this and heading for the door. He stepped inside, where there was a lobby covered in drawings done by little children. Shuichi felt his cheeks redden. Some of the drawings were better than his own. A sister was walking over now, smiling. 

"Hello, gentlemen. May I hel-AAAH!" She took a step backwards, putting her hand to her chest. "Shin-Shindo Shuichi-kun?!" 

"H-hai," Shuichi stuttered, blushing brighter. Ryuichi grinned at his friend. He knew Shuichi wasn't used to this quite yet. 

"Was this schedualed?!" she was shrieking now. "Oh goodness - nobody told me!" 

"No, no...I just came to visit the place...I...I might possibly adopt." 

The nun was near tears, and at this point even Ryuichi was frightened. "Oh, Shindo-kun, you don't know, do you? The kids here love your music. We've had a fund for the past few months saving to go to a concert. But you just...showed up...and you might ADOPT?! Oh...would you mind going in to see the kids? They'll die, they'll just die." 

Shuichi restrained himself from asking why she would want small children to die, and produced a dewy smile. "I wouldn't mind seeing the kids..." 

"Da," Ryuichi commented. Shuichi turned to look and rolled his eyes at the sunglasses the older man had put on. "This is your moment, Shu," he grinned sheepishly. "Little kids are the best." 

The nun was ushering them into a room now. It was a beautiful large room, with huge windows that allowed streaming sunlight to filter in. There were a few T.V.s, couches, video game systems, toys everywhere and beanbag chairs for all. It was filled with maybe forty to fifty children, ranging from ages two to fourteen. The older kids, Shuichi saw, were huddled on the couch, focusing on some show. There was also a DDR machine. A little kid was playing it, and would have been failing miserably, had it not been for the teenager playing with her. She couldn't even reach each arrow. 

There was music, and it was Ryuichi who tapped Shuichi's shoulder, pointing. Shuichi turned. 

In one corner, a CD player was booming Rage Beat, karaoke style. A boy of maybe seven was singing loudly into a microphone. 

"Doko ni mo tomaranaiiii-!" 

Ryuichi was giggling like mad as the boy twirled around, obviously trying to imitate Shuichi's girly stage moves. It took a moment, but Shuichi relized it. 

He was grinning. He loved it. 

Quickly, he jostled over to the corner as the boy was finishing his solo and joined in. 

"I want new wooooooooooorrrrllld!" 

The music continued to play, but the kids had stopped dancing and singing. The T.V. suddenly died and the teens were looking over. Little kids dropped their toys. The song ended and the room was drenched in absolute silence. 

"Shindo...Shuichi?" 

Blinking, Shuichi turned to see a small, amber haired boy looking up at him with wonder and amazement. 

"For...real?" 

With a slight nod, the singer showed his reply, wordless. The boy shrank back as one of the teenagers screamed. 

"It really is - it's Shindo-san!" 

Deja-vu: Shuichi was horribly reminded of the way the reporters had stormed him that time the tabloids discovered him and Yuki. People were piling all around, children of all ages, screaming teens and squealing, confused three year olds. They were all talking, and he couldn't catch a single word. Somebody mentioned an autograph. Somebody mentioned Yuki. Somebody was screaming right in his ear. He could feel little kids running all around his legs. It was a sea of people... 

Gaah. 

"Everybody, everybody!" the nun was shouting desperatly. At her words, the kids fell silent again. "Please, please! Shindo-kun came here to visit you children and possibly look into adoption. He won't want to take any of you home if you treat him like THAT!" 

It was in a startingly sudden second that the crowd dispersed, not without an occasional glance over their shoulders. Shuichi laughed a bit. The entering, rush of people and departure had happened in under a minute. These kids were damn obidient. Ryuichi whistled. 

"Shuu-chan, look." 

Shuichi laughed at a pair of girls who had just inserted some video tapes of Bad Luck's music videos. It seemed the entire room was now in a Bad Luck stupor. 

Almost. 

The amber haired boy from before was crouched in a corner, alone and fiddling with his shirttails. Ryuichi caught Shuichi looking and nudged him forward. Frowning, Shuichi stepped towards him, kneeling down and smiling gently. 

"Hey." 

"Hello, Shindo-san," the boy mumbled respectfully. Shuichi decided he'd be here for a while, so he nudged himself to sit cross legged. The boy looked up, surprised and a little awed. 

"What's your name?" came Shuichi's bright reply to this odd expression. The boy shrugged. 

"Chickabiddy." 

"Chickabiddy? Is that your real name?" Shuichi cocked his head to the side. "That's a wierd name." He gasped and clasped his hands over his mouth. Shimatta! He'd barely spoken a word and was already insulting the poor kid. 

"I know it's waired. It's not my real name. The kids call me it." The boy struggled over some words, and Shuichi got the impression he might have a speech disorder. 

"Do you have a speech disorder?" /Wait - NO! That's not what I meant!/ 

The boy's feathers were officialy ruffled. "No, I just can't said waired. It's a stupid word. And I'm not a baby. I'm five." 

"I'm twenty," Shuichi said, making conversation. "So what is your real name, Chickabiddy?" 

The boy opened his mouth to reply, then shut it quickly. 

"Hmmmmm?" Shuichi inquired. 

"Cody," the boy finally said. He didn't repeat it, but Shuichi was satisfied. 

"I guess you can't wait to find a family, huh?" 

"No," Cody said, harsh and quick. "I hate familes." 

"WHAT?!" 

"I don't want a family. They're horrible. They come in and poke my friends and take them away forever. I hate familes." 

Shuichi was shocked beyond belief. What about the commercial, the happy children being carried home by strong fathers and pretty mothers? The children eagerly awaiting a chance to go home with their new parents? 

"You don't want ANY family?!" Shuichi cried. "That's stupid!" 

Cody was silent, and Shuichi felt like grabbing a block and smashing his head in with it. He'd already called the kid wierd, mentally challenged, and now stupid. His mind raced. 

"I really like your music, though," Cody said quietly. "You're a really nice person." 

"Eh?" 

"I said I really like your music, you're a really nice person, and I'm really glad to meet you." 

"Well so I really am too." /Jesus. No wonder I failed Japanese./ 

Cody blinked, blushing slightly and staring at the floor. Shuichi knew he was embaressing him. He probably felt that Shuichi was mocking his speech. 

"I think if you had a family, you'd like it," Shuichi said firmly, after a few good minutes of silence. Cody just shook his head quietly, still blushing and staring at the ground. "How do you know?" 

"I just do." 

Shuichi frowned. 

"What if you...came to live with my family!" 

Surprised, Cody looked up. "Your...family?" 

"Well, it's not much of a family, but there's Yuki, and Hiro, and Ryuichi, and Tohma, and Suguru, and everyone! They're all my family." 

Cody's eyes were shining a little. "You...you want to adopt me?" 

"I do," Shuichi said solidly, as he stood up. "Sakuma-san! Let's get going, I need to make some plans!" He grumbled as Ryuichi rolled past him, children stuck to him like glue and giggling as they reached for Kumagoro. 

"Tickling me na no da! Shuichi, help!" he laughed merrily. 

Shuichi smirked smugly, looked back at the tiny Cody in the corner, and, as an afterthought, ruffled his hair gently. 

"I'll come back. Don't get taken, you hear?" 

Cody nodded, trying to hide the little smile he was wearing. Shuichi winked. He spoke to the nun for a moment, explaining he would be coming back for his friend later. She thanked him again and he was finally free outside. Once there, he leaned against the side of the building, putting a hand to his head and moaning. 

"What have I done?" 

--   
to be continued.   
-- 

follow the arrow and click, onegai shimasu.   
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	3. Quiet little guy, isn't he.

**shuichi's chickabiddy**   
**chapter 3**

-- 

Yuki was sitting on the couch when Shuichi returned home, shaking. 

/Yuki, I have an idea. Things are a bit boring around here lately - don't you think so too? Because I had this great idea, Yuki, we could adopt a kid./ 

"No!" Shuichi mumbled. He pulled off his shoes, grumbling as he headed for the living room. God, Yuki was going to KILL him. He could picture the massacre. Maybe they're bury him in a nice place by the ocean. Or in a pyramid. Or in a tomb behind a rock. Like Jesus. 

"Shuichi, where were you? You didn't tell me you were going out." Yuki held back his smiles like usual, but extended an arm so Shuichi could curl up next to him. It was almost a robotic movement. Happy, Shuichi started to move forward, then halted halfway through. 

"No…Yuki. I need to ask you something first." 

"Ask me sitting here." 

"It's serious, Yuki, it's really something serious." Shuichi gulped back his whimpers. Yuki was in a good mood, and he didn't feel like ruining it. He imagined the rage, Yuki tearing up the house screaming, maybe even kicking him out. 

/No Yuki…I don't want to leave…/ 

"Serious?" Yuki inquired, stretching out his arm farther. Shuichi finally took the bait and slid onto the couch, letting himself curl up next to Yuki's chest. "You're never serious unless it has something to do with a cold dinner. You nearly took my head off one time. Really, though, what's serious?" 

"I…" Shuichi whimpered, tears welling up in his eyes. In his mind, Yuki had already beaten him to a pulp and thrown him out the window. "I…me and…well, today, me and Sakuma-san…" 

"Sakuma-san?" Shuichi felt Yuki's grip loosen. Oh, shit! 

"NONO! That's not what I was going to say!!! Yuki, just listen to me, and please try to understand. Okay, look. It all started when I was watching your talk show-" 

"You told me you didn't watch that show," Yuki grumbled with a smirk. Oh, damn it all! 

"I…" Shuichi stumbled over his words, knowing he was digging himself into a deeper and deeper hole. "I…I…well, I didn't…you said something and…I thought it embarrassed you, so I thought you wouldn't have wanted me to see…I'm sorry, Yuki, I'm not a liar, Yuki, I've never lied to you before, please don't-" 

His ramblings were silenced as warm lips overcame his own. Yuki kissed him, firmly but gently, moving his hand up the back of Shuichi's neck. He pulled back after a moment, staring deep into the singer's eyes. 

"Now, stop getting off track. I know you aren't a liar. Tell me your serious thing." 

"Me and Sakuma-san went to visit the adoption agency," Shuichi breathed in a rush. "One of the boys was alone and scared. I told him I wanted to adopt him." 

Yuki was silent and Shuichi started to cry. 

"I saw the commercial, Yuki, it was so sad…there were kids and families…they need help and if they don't find someone who wants to love them they stay there forever, oh Yuki, I wanted to help…I didn't go to adopt, I went just to visit, but he was all alone, his name was chickabiddy…Cody…and he said he hated families…I don't know why I said it, Yuki, but I decided I really want to…Yuki, please don't kick me out, please don't hate me, I don't know what to do…" 

He stopped talking to catch his breath. Yuki hadn't moved. He stared at the wall, his arm still wrapped around Shuichi. He could almost feel its grip on him tighten. 

"Do you really want to adopt that boy, Shuichi?" Yuki turned to look, his eyebrow slightly arched. Shuichi felt his cheeks redden. 

"I…I…yes, I suppose…I do want to…but…Yuki…" 

"Then we can do it." Yuki sat up, stretching out a bit. "You know it costs money, time, patience, and love to have a child." 

"I know, Yuki, I know!" 

"It'll take a lot of paperwork too." 

"Yes, I-" 

"It's a big commitment, Shuichi, you can't be immature or rash about this decision." 

"Yuki-" Shuichi was numb with shock, but he could feel Yuki's arms wrap around him. The writer buried his nose in Shuichi's hair, holding him tight. 

"And it's the most generous, selfless thing you've ever tried to do." 

Shuichi burned red, his body finally relaxing into Yuki's soft embrace. He wasn't kicked out or beaten to a pulp. He was getting the best response out of Yuki he'd ever gotten in their entire relationship. 

And he was happy. 

-- 

"Ah, Shu-chan, Shu-chan!" Ryuichi hopped along as Shuichi briskly made his way to the adoption center. "I want to be the uncle, Shu-chan!" 

Yuki walked alongside Shuichi, and he bent over, mumbling. "Why did we bring him?" 

"He wanted to come," Shuichi giggled. "He promised not to tell anyone, either." 

It was a few weeks and many forms later. The adoption center was brimming with activity. Two celebrities were going to adopt their most quickly rejected child! 

Once serious about the idea, Shuichi and Yuki had spoken to the advisors they sent out. Cody was five years old. His mother was dead, murdered. His father was in jail for the act. Nobody know if he'd been abused, or if he'd witnessed the murder, but it was widely known that he hated families and screamed at anyone who attempted to talk him into being adopted. People would go right to him, but they never left with him. He bit one man in the nose. 

His caretakers were unsure why he had taken to Shuichi so quickly, but they were almost positive it was because he was a big fan of Bad Luck. He never participated in the karaoke concerts the kids held, but he was a member of the fan club the center had going and donated every penny to the collection for a concert. Which wasn't needed now. Shuichi was signing the kids all up for his next concert, for free. He wanted to take them on tour with him, but the van wasn't big enough by far. 

One of the nuns asked Cody about it, and in his own quiet way he had said that he'd love to be a family with Shindo-san. However, he had no idea it was finalized. He hadn't spoken to Shuichi since the day they'd met. 

Once at the center, Shuichi waved to the kids playing outside. A nun came up to him, smiling. 

"Shindo-kun! Today is the day?" 

"It is. Here, this is Yuki Eiri, he's going to-" 

Too late. She'd rocketed off into the sky somewhere. They watched as she floated back down, hearts marking her trail. Yuki smirked. 

"Shindo-san!" 

Shuichi turned, grinning as Cody came running up to him. "Cody!" 

The boy stopped a foot short of Shuichi, smiling a mile wide and looking up. "Shindo-san, we all heard about the fwee concert. We're all so happy, we did something for you! Wait until I tell sister you came back, she'll get everyone ready!" 

He ran off, squeaking with joy. Yuki blinked. 

"I thought you told me he was quiet and shy. That was him, right?" 

"It was." Shuichi was a bit dazed. "He did act shy and quiet when I first met him. I don't know what happened." 

"Mm." Yuki reached into his pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. Shuichi frowned, pushing Yuki's hand down and shaking his head. Yuki rolled his eyes, sighing. 

A different nun came over, smiling sweetly. "Gentlemen, please come inside. The children have a special treat. After learning they no longer had to save for your concert, they took the money and donated most of it to charity." 

"That's wonderful!" Shuichi beamed. Yuki nodded approval. Ryuichi's eyes sparkled. 

"They did keep a little, though. They got you something, Shindo-kun." 

"They - they didn't have to do that!" Shuichi cried, a bit taken aback. "They should have bought something for themselves." 

"You did them a favor, and they wanted to repay you. Come inside, they're all ready to present it." 

Flattered, Shuichi nodded, following her into the building. He gazed upon the same room he'd been in yesterday, marveling in how well behaved and orderly the children were standing there. They have their hands folded, and the most smug little expressions on their face. One of the teenage girls stepped forward. 

"Shindo Shuichi, we all here are very happy because of your gift." She smiled, blushing shyly. "Um…so we put some of our fund towards a gift for you. We hope you like it, Shindo-san." 

Trembling, she held out a package wrapped in bright shiny paper, and stepped back as Shuichi took it from her. Ryuichi, behind him, whimpered and pawed at it. 

"Can I open it?" 

"No!" Shuichi stuck his tongue out at his friend, and then proceeded to open the gift. He smiled as something wrapped in a white t-shirt appeared. Turned out that the t-shirt sported a picture of Japan, and above it were the words, "Best Singer in all of:". On the back the kids had all drawn pictures of Shuichi singing. This would have been enough, but wrapped inside was a stuffed dinosaur and a gift certificate to the candy store. 

"Oh gosh - you guys, this is GREAT!" he gushed, happy beyond words. Holding up a finger in the 'wait' motion, he sprinted from the room, returning half a second later wearing the t-shirt. He held up his fingers in a victory sign. The kids all looked so happy Shuichi was afraid they'd burst. Ryuichi actually took a step back. 

"It's like a lot of little me's," he whispered delicatly into Shuichi's ear. They both snickered. 

"Children, Shindo-san has an annoucment to make! Please, listen up - children!" One of the nuns calmed the kids down, then nodded to Shuichi, who blinked, cocking his head. 

"Chickabiddy," she whispered. 

"Chickabiddy?" Yuki's mouth twitched. "What?" 

"It's his nickname, DARLING." Shuichi gave Yuki a dewy smile, turning back to the crowd so as to not catch Yuki's don't-call-me-that-if-we-aren't-in-bed glare. 

Clearning his throat, Shuichi tried not to be nervous. Jesus. Talking to a bunch of kids was totally different than singing for screaming fans. "I uh...first of all, I really love the shirt and the dinosaur. And I'll buy lots of pocky with the gift certficate!" 

Some girls giggled. 

"And...I came back here for a reason today. I also brought Yuki-san with me for a reason. When I came here the first time, I just wanted to help out. While I was here I met someone who I promised I would come back for." 

Some of the kids gasped. Cody, who'd been in his corner, looked up, eyes wide and shining. 

"So I did...me and Yuki-san have adopted one of you!" There were more collective gasps as Shuichi turned to look, grinning, at Cody. "Cody, I kept my promise - you're in my family now!" 

The gasping and whispers stopped. It was the same kind of eerie thing that happened when the sisters beckoned for silence. Dead silence, the kind that filled the house when Yuki left and forgot to mention he was doing so. 

"Cody - good JOB!" a boy cried suddenly, so suddenly that Yuki, Shuichi, and Ryuichi's heads all snapped to look at the same time. It had a comical effect on the kids, who began laughing and piling up on Cody. 

"Cody, Cody, oh, Cody you got adopted, finally!" 

"I told you it would happen, he's the cutest one of us all!" 

"Shuichi Shindo, of all people! You won't need to save up for any Bad Luck concerts ever again!" 

"Three punches for three years here, one for good luck!" 

"I'll miss you Cody." 

Shuichi never relized a quiet kid could be so loved. Cody, although very frightened, was smiling weakly and rubbing his shoulder where he'd been lucky-punched. Deciding to join the muddle and save his new son, Shuichi tromped through the children and held his arms out to Cody. 

"Want a lift?" 

The boy nodded silently, grabbing Shuichi's hand and allowing himself to be lifted up. Shuichi got his second shock in thirty seconds - Cody felt like he weighed five pounds. Kids were small, but THIS small? He smiled widely as Cody wrapped his tiny arms around his neck, clinging like a fish out of water. For a moment Shuichi got the sense that Cody was clinging for his life, he was that firm and serious about it. 

Shuichi made his way back to Yuki and Ryuichi. Ryuichi grinned broadly, but Yuki hid whatever smile he wanted to show. Inwardly he was pissed off, at a combination of needing to smoke, and wishing he could smile at Cody and give the boy a good first impression. However, he couldn't, so he just looked angry. 

A nun held out a small suitcase. "Cody, I packed your clothes, your neko-neko, and your favourite plate. Yes, the kitchen staff decided to give it to you." She reached out, cupping the small cheek in her hand. "Ah, Cody. We'll miss you here. You won't be living too far away - promise to visit?" 

Cody nodded gently, his eyes watery. He would never say it outloud, but as happy as he was to be going home with the only "family" he'd liked since arriving, he knew he would miss the sisters and all his friends. Shuichi let him go so he could give all his caretakers a hug and goodbye kiss. Most of them were sniffling back tears and waving sadly. 

"Must be some damn good kid," Yuki mumbled to Ryuichi in a bored way. Ryuichi made a snorting dissaproval noise at the curse word. Yuki rolled his eyes. "You think I could have an intelligent conversation with someone ten years older than me. I feel like your father." 

"Na no da. Daddy." Ryuichi grabbed one of Yuki's arms, his thumb magnetically going into his mouth. Yuki's lip curled and he growled in his throat. The j-rocker was unphased by this. 

Cody finished his goodbyes, then ran back to Shuichi, nearly jumping into his arms. He resumed his position, arms around Shuichi's neck. 

"I want to see our howz," he stated blandly, but quietly. Shuichi nodded. "And I want to learn how to use a teddyphone." 

"You want to learn to use a telephone?" 

"Yes. They never teached us how to use one, because they don't want us to call the police on accident. So I don't know how. I'm five, I'm not a baby, Shindo-san." 

"I know you aren't a baby, Cody." Shuichi frowned. "You don't need to call me Shindo-san...do you want to call me something else?" 

"Can I call you Shu?" 

"You could call me daddy," Shuichi mumbled lightly, blushing and biting back his grin. He felt Cody's grip tighten around his neck. 

"I hate that." 

"What?" 

"That. I hate it. I'll call you Shu." 

"What will you call Yuki?" Shuichi asked quietly. Cody turned to look behind them. Yuki was attempting to light a cigarette, which was hard with Ryuichi on his back. The older man whooped with joy, tugging on Yuki's hair and giggling. Yuki snarled as he dropped the third joint since they left. 

"Sakuma, get the hell off my back and stop wasting my money!" 

"Smoking hurts your lungs NA NO DA!" Ryuichi decided to scream the last three words into Yuki's ear. The blond threw his arms into the air with frustration. 

Cody turned away, burying his nose into the soft flesh of Shuichi's throat. Shuichi furrowed his eyebrows, wondering why Cody didn't answer. He finally settled on the answer that he was kind of tired. 

They reached their parking spot and piled into the car. For the first time ever, Yuki begged Shuichi to sit in the front seat. 

"I'm tired of babysitting your dumb little friends!" he cried. "Shuichi, sit in the front, please!" 

"No - I'm sitting with Cody in back! Ryuichi, just sit next to me. Yuki doesn't like you." 

"Da," Ryuichi squeaked, bonking Yuki on the head and ducking into the backseat, giggling, as Yuki threw a punch at him. 

Cody buckled up in the middle seat silently, squashing himself against Shuichi's thigh and clinging there the entire silent trip home. By the time they finally reached it, he was fast asleep, slumped next to Shuichi with his small fists clinging weakly. 

"Quiet little guy," Yuki stated as he climbed out, "isn't he." 

"Yea," Shuichi answered. He gazed down at Cody, using a few fingers to brush back some amber strands of hair. "Quiet," he repeated. 

It was dark outside. As Shuichi gazed at the moon, the limp child in his arms, he smiled dreamily and wondered and hoped that tomorrow would bring something good. 

He had no idea that it would bring just the opposite. 

--   
to be continued.   
-- 

follow the arrow and click, onegai shimasu.   
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	4. Tohma...you did this.

**shuichi's chickabiddy**   
**chapter 4**

-- 

The next morning, Cody awoke when the sun was barely risen. He sat up quickly, shocked. He had no idea where he was. Wind billowed slightly in through a somewhat open window, ruffling his scruffy hair and giving him a slight chill. He looked down and saw he was still wearing his clothing from the night before. He also noticed the careful, scrutinious way the blanket he was under had been folded, again and again. His neko-neko was gently tucked under it, on a second pillow next to him. Arms shooting out, he snatched the small, dirty yellow cat doll and clung to it, still a bit lost. 

It hit him very quickly. This was Shuichi Shindo and Yuki Eiri's house. He'd come here yesterday, but had fallen asleep in the car. 

And this... 

/This is my room?/ he wondered to himself, marveling at the thought. All his life he'd shared a room with someone else. When he lived with his mom, he didn't remember well, but he knew there was only one bedroom for them all. At the adoption center, he stayed in a dormitory with all the boys about his age. He never had a problem with it, because he'd never known something else. 

Now, he climbed from his bed, neko-neko still being tightly clung to. He looked all around, wondering at what he assumed was his furniture. There was a dresser, a night stand with a small lamp, a closet, a chair, and the bed. A mirror hung on the wall. Growing increasingly curious, he opened the drawers, closet, and even peeked under the bed. 

Empty? 

No clothes, no toys, nothing. He wondered for a moment if Shuichi maybe hated him and would never buy him toys. 

No way... 

Maybe Shuichi just couldn't go shopping until he knew what Cody liked and what he wore. Or maybe him and Yuki expected Cody to bring more along than just some outfits, a cat, and a plate. 

Feeling ashamed for a moment, Cody blushed, creaking open his door and peering outside the room. It was dark, and very quiet. He figured Yuki and Shuichi were asleep, and decided to explore. 

"I'm not a baby and I am NOT scared of being awone," he mumbled bravely to himself, tightening the grip on neko-neko to prove his grown-upness. After walking down a short hallway, he came upon the living room. There was a couch, joined in the corner, a table, a T.V., which, oddly, was sitting on the floor - all the T.V.s Cody had known we in big cabinets or stands. Beyond the living room was a kitchen, which contained a table, and the typical kitchen stuff. It was a really small kitchen. For Cody, at least. 

The last room he crept into was very plain. There were tons of books, like a tiny library...a table, and a thingy. Oh, a chair too. He climbed up on it, setting neko-neko down and flipping open the thingy. 

It glowed, alive. Cody's eyes widened. He looked down at all the keys and buttons. On the screen there were a lot of words. Not touching a thing, he grabbed neko-neko and curled his hands in his lap, trying hard to read what was on the screen. 

"Cody?" 

Cody's head whipped around to see Yuki standing in the door, staring at him. 

"What are you doing to my laptop?" 

The answer didn't come. The two of them stared at each other for a while, not glaring, just watching closely. The air around them crackled, as though electricity was shooting from their eyes. They stayed that was for a while, until the silence was broken by Shuichi. 

"La li ho!" he cried, strolling in the door, pushing Yuki aside. The air settled and Cody slid off the chair, running over to Shuchi and leaping into his arms. "Wah, Cody! You're up early. I was going to make breakfast and surprise you. Did you sleep good?" 

"I did," Cody said quickly. "Was the place I was sleeping my very own room?" 

"It was. We got all the furniture just for you." 

"Can I put all my clothes in the drawers, can neko-neko have a bed in one of the drawers, since I normally don't sleep with him, can I sleep with you sometime, Shu, when it storms I all sleep in the sister's room. I really like my very own r-room." He stumbled his words at the end, realizing how much he had said and turning pink from shame. 

Shuichi just laughed. "The answer is yes to everything, and I'm very glad you like your room. I was afraid you might not like the colors we chose." 

Cody blinked, wondering why Shuichi was afraid of that. Why would he turn down a perfectly good room because it was a certain color? He liked all colors. 

"I like all colors," he confirmed. 

"I'm sure you do," Shuichi laughed, ruffling Cody's hair. He was finding that with every word Cody said, he was loving him more and more. Was it really love, though? Or just some superficial infatuation? Shuichi frowned to himself, turning and heading for the kitchen. 

Yuki followed them, reaching into his pocket for cigarettes. He growled as he found they were missing. He glared at the back of Shuichi's innocent pink head, and knew exactly what was going on. Shuichi had mentioned it once - it would be bad for Cody to live here while inhaling second hand smoke. Shuichi would love Yuki even if he dealt crack cocaine on the streets, but suddenly he was getting a smug little my-way-or-the-highway attitude about him. And he did not want Yuki smoking anymore. 

Yuki knew he should quit. He'd known it was a mistake from the start. Now, though, he was getting a headache and really needed a smoke. It took all his willpower not to reach out and smack the damned trickster. 

They all three settled down at the table, Shuichi bopping around and scrambling eggs. Yuki and Cody sat at opposite ends. They stared at each other, more hostile this time. Cody fiddled with a fork in his hands, and Yuki drummed his fingers on the table. Shuichi totally missed the silent, non-violent confrontation as he set plates down in front of each person. 

"Eat up, you two! I have to run, late for work!" Shuichi grabbed for his coat. 

"WAIT!" 

He blinked, his fingers sliding from the fabric. The cry had come from both Yuki and Cody at once. 

"Huh?" He blinked again. "What's wrong?" 

"Cody wants to go to work with you," Yuki growled. 

"I want to go to work with you," Cody mumbled at the same time. 

Shuichi shrugged, laughing. "Why didn't you say so, Cody! I'd love for you to come to work with me. Want to go shopping for some stuff afterwards?" 

"Yea!" Cody grinned. Honestly, he didn't want to be home with Yuki all day, watching him do whatever he did. It was only after the work suggestion had been made that he realized how much he wanted to see Shuichi sing. At least, he figured that was what Shuichi did at work. 

Shuichi was positively hopping now. "Oh Cody, nobody knows about you except Ryuichi! They'll be so surprised," he gushed. "Oh, you're not dressed in clean clothes! Wait." The singer bounded from the room, returning with Cody's suitcase. "I can drive to work today, and you get dressed in the back seat, okay?" 

"Okay," Cody giggled. He'd never been in such an unorthodox situation before. Getting dressed in the car - how silly! He loved it. 

"Bye Yuki!" Shuichi called, scooping Cody into his free arm and flicking his hand in a wave. 

"Bye, Shu-ichi," Yuki sighed. He emphasized the fact that he was ONLY saying good bye to Shuichi. Shuichi missed it, but it wasn't too late for Yuki to catch the stare coming from Cody as his small face slipped out the door. He snarled. 

"Wait - SHUICHI!" 

"Wrapped up in my sock drawer, Yuki," the exasperated reply floated through the door. "Honestly, Yuki." 

There was a creak of hinges and a click as the lock slid into place. Yuki stormed into the bedroom, ripping open Shuichi's sock drawer and tearing out a cigarette. He lit it, fumbling, voice shaking with anger. 

"What the fuck did I ever do to HIM?" 

-- 

"Ready to surprise them?" Shuichi asked loudly, turning around to look at Cody. The car swerved and horns were sounded. Shuichi swerved to avoid some car that was in the wrong lane. Or were they? 

Oh. 

"Watch the road, Shu, or we'll die," Cody said, matter-of-factly. "Sister told us that once." 

He pulled on some socks, nervous because he wasn't very good at dressing himself and his shirt felt funny. The car finally pulled to a stop. Cody gave up on his socks and peered up. 

...whoa. 

N-G Records was big anyway, but when you're four feet tall, it's a place Godzilla could call home. His mouth formed a little o. His reverie was only broken when Shuichi lifted him up, giggling at his outfit. 

"Cody-chan, you're dressed like me. Grab your shoes, I can put them on while we walk. I am really, really late." 

He hoisted the boy onto his shoulders, kicking the door shut with his sneaker. He instructed Cody to hold tight and duck if the ceiling was going to hit him. Cody obeyed, trying not to get distracted as Shuichi awkwardly reached his arms back and tied his shoelaces. He clung tightly to the pink mass of hair, deciding after feeling how soft and nice it was that he wanted pink hair too. He chose to tell this to Shuichi later. 

They strolled past recording studios, people wearing microphones, ladies in short skirts and someone carting a synthesizer around. Cody felt warm. This was where his favorite band made their songs! 

And he was sitting on the shoulders of his favorite person. 

He cuddled the pink a bit more, making a small "mmmm" sound of happiness as he laid his cheek in the soft mass. Shuichi snickered, reaching up to ruffle Cody's own amber mop as he opened a door. "'lo!" He bounded into his recording studio, grinning widely, his hands clasped tightly around Cody's ankles. The boy continued to cling to Shuichi's head. 

"Ah, Shindo-kun," Sakano rushed over, brandishing papers that flew all over. "You need to - oh." He looked up, blinking at the small child. Cody shrunk back. 

Hiro looked up, as did Suguru and K. They collectively cocked their heads to the side. 

"Who are you baby sitting, Shuichi?" Hiro inquired casually, smiling. 

"I'm not," Shuichi mumbled, blushing. He suddenly found himself very shy about the entire matter. 

"My name is Cody," the boy suddenly piped up. "I'm five and I'm not a baby. Shu is taking me to work today, I'm going to see Shu sing." 

Suguru raised an eyebrow. Sakano clasped his hands together. 

"What an adorable child!" 

"Reminds me of my own," K said loudly, the first thing he'd said since Shuichi came in. Shuichi looked over at him, startled. K's eyes were twinkling. He knew. "So who's is he, Shuichi?" The twinkle was now emphasized with a smirk. An /evil/ smirk. 

"He's…uh…well, Cody's my son." The words were mumbled quietly, and Shuichi burned beet red. Everyone was quiet for a moment, then K started to laugh. 

"I figured so - congratulations, Shuichi, you got Yuki to lighten up! What made you want to do it?" 

"I - I saw a commercial, and I wanted to help. I visited and Cody really liked me. We just took him home last night." Shuichi's blush had spread to his ears now. He felt as though he'd just announced to the room that he was growing an eggplant in his liver. It sounded so odd and foreign to say that Cody was his son. 

"You're a good man, Shuichi, a good man." K was positively bubbling. Cody straightened up. 

"I like you, accent guy. Are you from the movies like a movie star? You look like you pick up weights everyday are you very strong? Can you pick ME up I bet you can't I weigh two hundred pounds." He paused for a breath and K broke out laughing. Quickly, in a single deft movement, the American had swept Cody off Shuichi's shoulders and onto his own. Cody squealed from joy. Nobody'd ever swung him around like that. It was fun. 

Hiro made a sound like a melting slug. "You have a SON?" 

"Y-yeah," Suguru agreed. 

"Ah-ah-ah IIIIIIIIIAAAAAAA!" Sakano spun around in a frenzied whirlwind. "You didn't tell us, you kept it a secret, how come you didn't tell us, ah what now, what will Tohma think, he'll kill me he'll bite my head off- IIIAAAAAA!" 

Shuichi laughed weakly, patting Sakano on the shoulder and calming him down. "Sakano-san, please…it's okay. Tohma should be fine with this. It was a decision me and Yuki made together, and we're sticking to it. And Cody is really happy with us." 

Hiro shook his head as though clearing out his ears. He finally snapped out of it, realized exactly what was really going on, and grinned. "Shuichi, for real! You actually adopted a kid - and kept it a secret from me! I ought to kill you," he laughed, grabbing Shuichi's head and locking him into a full nelson. Shuichi struggled, but he was giggling, his cheeks paling back to normal color. This was okay - it was okay. 

It would all be okay. 

Sakano was returning to his normal self, laughing weakly as he watched K romp around with Cody on his back. Suguru stuttered. 

"S-son?" 

K snickered, plopping Cody into Suguru's arms. "Son." 

Cody smiled at Suguru. For some reason he felt warm to everyone in this place, people he'd never met, and people he'd only seen standing behind Shuichi on the concert tapes. "Hi, Fujisaki-san. A girl in my old house is your fan. She has a poster of your big face." 

"Ah...oh...what's that?" Suguru blinked, thoroughly confused. Cody giggled. 

"I like you, you're funny." 

"Wait - you mean I have FANS?" 

Well this news was enough to put Suguru in the emergency room for a while. Luckily, he just stumbled a bit and meekly looked at Cody. Cody could only grin. 

-- 

The phone rang a few times, echoing in the near empty apartment. Yuki reached over in a bored way, lifting the phone to his ear, but restraining from saying a word. 

"Eiri-san?" 

"Tohma," sighed the writer. "What is it?" 

"I was informed minutes ago that you and Shindo-san have adopted a child." 

"Yeah." 

"That doesn't seem like something you would agree to or participate vigorously in." 

"I did all the paperwork, got us cleared and had it all legalized. I did participate." 

"But it's going to stop there, isn't it? The participation." 

Yuki was silent, without any reasonable answers. He could hear Tohma breathing on the other end of the phone. 

"Eiri-san." 

"No, the participation doesn't stop there." 

"What's his name?" 

"Cody." 

"How old is he?" 

"Five." 

"What's his background?" 

"Mother was murdered by possibly abusive father, he's been in an adoption center for three years." Yuki puffed on his cigarette, about to say more but holding back. 

"And...?" 

"And what?" 

"Eiri-san." 

Sigh. "And he hates me. Okay? He hates my god damned guts. You happy, Tohma?" 

"No. Why do you think he hates you, Eiri-san?" 

"I don't know. I probably remind him of his dad or something. He glares at me and doesn't want to be around me." 

"I am sure you return the favor, don't you." 

More silence. Yuki nearly snarled, Tohma's accuracy annoying him beyond belief. 

"No." 

He slammed the phone down, immediately realizing he was getting out of control and struggling to calm down. He resumed typing after a few minutes. Some character in his novel died that chapter. 

-- 

"Come in," Tohma called lightly, smiling with his head slightly tilted as usual. Shuichi entered, looking sheepish. Attached to his hand was a small arm, then a small body. Cody trailed behind, looking very nervous. When they'd been called up, alone, he immediately got frightened. He only agreed to enter if Shuichi didn't let go of his hand. 

"Hello, Seguchi-san," he mumbled quietly. 

Tohma was still smiling. "Hello, Cody. Would you like to sit down?" 

"No," Cody said blandly, but he was ushered into a chair by Shuichi anyway, who turned even brighter red at the rude answer to his boss. 

"I hear you are five years old. That's almost a teenager, Cody. I hope you are prepared for the difficult task of taking care of Shuichi-kun and Eiri-kun in their old age." 

Bam. Tohma had hit the nail on the head. Cody was so surprised that he forgot to inform Tohma that he wasn't a baby. This man already KNEW he wasn't a baby. Was this god? Why was such power radiating from the small, fragile looking frame behind that desk? It MUST be god. Cody's hand slipped from Shuichi's. Tohma took note. 

"Shindo-san, gomen nasai. Would it be all right if I spoke to Cody alone for a moment?" 

Shuichi paused. He recalled that the last time Tohma had wanted to 'speak to him alone for a moment' - he'd be alerted that any more contact with Yuki would result in bad, evil things. 

"I assure you, Shindo-san, all I wish to do is talk." The twinkling eyes and feminine voice won Shuichi over. 

"H-hai," he said cautiously, glancing at Cody. "Cody, I'll wait outside...okay?" 

"K Shu," Cody said, swinging his legs back and forth. Shuichi made his exit an uneventful one. The door closed and clicked softly. 

Tohma stood, walking to the front of his desk and pulling up a chair closer to Cody. "So - Cody, yes? You're a very handsome young man. Are you happy with your new family?" 

"Yes," Cody answered, so quickly that Tohma was a little taken aback. "I do like my family..." 

"You like your ENTIRE family?" 

"Yes..." 

Tohma sighed. "Cody, Ei-...Yuki-san is under the impression that you hate him. Do you hate him, Cody?" 

"NO!" Cody stood on his chair, filled with emotion suddenly. "I don't hate him - HE hates ME! He glares at me and he smokes and he's mean to Shu, and he hates me and he hits people!" 

"He hits people?" Tohma was surprised. 

"There was a boy when they came to take me home. He was tall and had brown hair. He screamed a lot and jumped on Yuki. Yuki hit him and called him bad names." 

"Oh," Tohma replied, smiling to himself. "Everybody hits that boy, Cody. Don't hold it against Yuki." 

Cody resumed sitting. "Oh." 

Tohma thought for a moment. Both Eiri and Cody felt the other hated them. But neither would reply as to whether or not they hated each other from their own ends. Did Eiri perhaps remind Cody of a past relation or contact that caused him pain? It could be anything, the cigarettes, the attitude, the clothing, the hair, the height...anything could trigger the memories of a small boy. Standing, the blond moved back behind his desk, settling into his president's chair and folding his fingers under his chin. 

"Thank you, Cody...you can go now." 

Still somewhat afraid of Tohma's powerful form, Cody headed for the door, doing just as Shuichi and carefully, cautiously closing it. He felt as though one loud noise and the entire room would shatter, along with Tohma. 

Long after the building was dark Tohma remained at his desk, fingers folded. 

"I wonder," he whispered. 

-- 

"Tadaima, Yuki!" Shuichi struggled into the house, weighed down by too many bags and a kid. "Yuki, HELP!" 

Slowly but surely Yuki emerged from his room, noticing the bags and sighing. He padded over, grabbed one, and tossed it on the couch. Shuichi whined loudly, shuffling over to where the other had landed and dropping his load. "Whew! Cody and me just went all over Tokyo to find clothes for him. We got shoes, shirts, pants, socks, a jacket, a winter coat, tons of jammies and a HAT! With CAT EARS!" Shuichi rummaged through the bags as he spoke. "And I got him the best pair of boxer shorts because - you know why? - THEY MATCH MINE!" 

"Only you," Yuki sighed, hiding the fond tone. "What, no diapers?" 

The comment, meant to be a joke to lighten the mood, struck Cody through the heart like an arrow of ice. He shivered, frozen. After a moment he broke free, turning to Yuki and screaming, spit flying from his mouth. 

"I don't need diapers - I'M NOT A BABY! Why do you allas make fun of me STOP MAKING FUN OF ME - I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU YUKI EIRI!" 

"Don't talk to me like that!" Yuki cried back. "You are a baby - you're only FIVE!" 

"I AM NOT A BABY!" 

"YOU ARE - YOU ARE! IMMATURE LITTLE BRAT!" 

"No," Shuichi moaned into his hands. "Stop, please-" 

His pleas were drowned out as Yuki and Cody continued mouthing off to one another. Finally, Yuki attempted to tell Cody he was grounded, Cody retorted that he only listened to Shuichi, Yuki huffed, Cody puffed, and they both stomped off to their respective rooms. If only they'd looked closer, they would have seen the tears quietly dripping from the other's eyes. 

"No..." Shuichi whispered, again. "Why...I had no idea...I didn't think Cody hated...and Yuki...they couldn't have..." 

He looked around, eyes finally landing on the phone. It was askew, as though it had been forcefully slammed. His mind flashed to the odd face Cody wore upon leaving Tohma's office. In his mind, two and two quickly fell together. 

"Tohma," he snarled, his breath ragged. "You did this..." 

--   
to be continued.   
-- 

follow the arrow and click, onegai shimasu.   
||   
||   
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\/ 


	5. I don't believe it.

**shuichi's chickabiddy**   
**chapter 5**

-- 

Three years later. 

-- 

"You stupid son of a bitch, I said square route, not cube route." 

"Son of a bitch - that's one to save for Shu!" 

''Shu' won't care," Yuki mumbled smugly. "And you know it." 

Cody struggled to keep his words back, fidgeting in his chair and sucking his lips in. He glared at Yuki, a glare of death, but Yuki calmly ignored it. 

"Now, the square route of nine-" 

"Three." 

"Smartass. Square route of four." 

"Two." 

"Square route of negative three thousand five hundred-" 

"Can't be done," Cody shot Yuki a big, fake smile. "See, I'm no idiot." 

"The day Shuichi gets a life and realizes you need to be in regular school with the regular kids, that day will be the happiest day of my life. You're such a little brat, I don't even know why I took you in the first place." 

"Because you loooooo~ove me, Yuuuuki," Cody dribbled his words, giving Yuki a huge eyed puppy face. "Besides, I can't go to regular school. All the kids would hate me." 

"Shuichi told you that, right? Said that because you were his son and it's still all over the tabloids and news that you'd get beaten up and made fun of, right?" 

"Yes." 

"I could be so lucky," Yuki finished with a grumble. Cody steamed. 

"Tadaima, Yuki!" A familiar cry ricocheted off the walls and Yuki groaned, whereas Cody gave a whoop of joy and danced away from Yuki and the table. 

"Stupid brat," he mumbled, but there was hint of a smile. 

"Shuichi, Yuki called me a son of a bitch and a dumbass today." Cody skipped in circles around the pink haired man, then pounced into his arms. 

"YUKI!" Shuichi paraded into the living room, Cody around his neck. "Come on, Yuki - you're supposed to be the mature one. Stop fighting, both of you, please. You have no idea what it does to me." 

"I didn't call him a dumbass, I called him a smartass, that's a compliment, so leave me alone. I have a deadline to meet, thank you." Yuki stood, brushed himself off, and headed for his quiet, secluded office. "Oh, Shuichi, look at the magazine on the coffee table." 

"Saw it. Did you see the daily?" 

"No." 

"Then look, it's funny." Shuichi shifted his weight, settling Cody into his arms. Even at age eight, the boy was small and shrimpy as ever. He was growing more and more like Shuichi every day. Only a week after the first verbal fight between Yuki and Cody, Cody'd begged to have his hair cut and dyed like Shuichi's. They'd gone out and returned not with an amber haired youth, but a pink haired mini-Shuichi, the only difference being large, brown eyes. 

Then the rumors had started. Yuki was abusing them both. Shuichi was abusing Cody. Shuichi was secretly a woman who had given birth to Cody, father unknown because he was cheating on Yuki with the members of his band. Yuki was secretly a woman. Hiro was the real dad of Shuichi's adopted son. So was Suguru. And K. And Ryuichi. Nittle-Grasper and Bad Luck were codenames for child molestation rings. Shuichi was an expert with child porn. N-G Records was, in secret, a child porn photography studio. Cody was really the first human clone. Cody was a girl. Cody was a robot. Cody was from Mars. Cody was an intelligent primate. 

They went on, the rumors fueling Bad Luck even beyond what it had been before. Each time a new one came out people bought the magazines just to see what it claimed this time. Everybody knew they were lies, not that the magazines knew this. Fan mail continued to pour in, and now there were some letters for Cody, too. Someone had got a picture of Shuichi rushing down the streets, Cody in his arms, and it had made the cover of Bop Peat. Everyday there were more requests for interviews with the fastest rising young talent in all of Japan. 

Shuichi made the decision for Cody to be home schooled. As he was gone all day, even on most weekends now, and Yuki didn't bother working much anyway, the books and worksheets had be thrust into the writer's arms. He'd protested, but finally gave in, never in the mood to fight Shuichi anymore. He'd lost the cigarette fight long ago. 

With Yuki's tutoring, Cody was growing to be incredibly intelligent. Although truly evil to his heated rival, Cody was a good kid, awaiting the day when Shuichi decided to take him on tour and let him up on stage. It hadn't happened yet, but Cody was sure he was destined to prove himself and sing along with Bad Luck, who he still worshipped. 

Shuichi loved Cody as much as he would a blood son, and he knew Cody loved him back. His heart was a little more broken every day, though: not only did Cody refuse to acknowledge him as a father, but he hated and despised the only other person in the world Shuichi loved just as much. And he was despised right back. 

The rivalry between Yuki and Cody was heated, and it tore Shuichi apart. He would have cut off his arms and legs if it meant those two would get along. Yuki was technically Cody's other father - yet Cody denied the fact in every way possible. 

The singer kept a secret wish list in his mind. He wanted Cody to love him like a father, not like an idol. He wanted Cody to love Yuki /some/ way, no matter how little, and vice versa. And he longed to hear Yuki mention the word love at all. Because even after five years of living together, the cynical writer was still too proud and self absorbed to say it. He was naturally cold and unable to show emotion, but he showed Shuichi he cared by doing little things. Not kicking Cody out, for one. Yet he couldn't bring himself to TELL Shuichi he cared. Even 'the little things' were surprising enough, as infrequently as they happened. 

For a while, Shuichi watched the closed door of Yuki's office, Cody snuggling in his arms. He finally sighed, gave Cody a small kiss on the forehead and set him down. 

"Cody, why do you give Yuki so much trouble?" 

"It's not my fault he hates me, Shu. He's the one who calls ME names." Cody flopped onto the couch, rolling onto his stomach and swinging his legs up in the air. He sighed. "I'm thirsty." 

"Oh?" 

"I'm thirsty…so can I have a drink, please," Cody giggled. Shuichi nodded, biting his lip to hold back his smile. It'd taken a while for Cody to start with good manners, but now he was getting them all the time. Shuichi felt as though, for once, he'd done something right. He strolled to the kitchen, pouring some punch into a cup. Cody was suddenly behind him. The boy wrapped his thin arms around Shuichi's waist from behind. 

"I missed you today, Shu. I hate learning, I wish I could go back to work with you." 

Shuichi sighed a little, setting the cup on the table and bending down. He took Cody in his arms, giving him a tight hug. "You have to learn, Cody, it's the law. If Yuki really bothers you that much, we can always send you to school. I know I said what I said about the kids being mean, but maybe if we sent you to a private school it wouldn't be so bad. The only thing is, most of the private schools around here are pretty snobby. I don't want you to grow up snobby, my chickabiddy." 

Cody smiled at the old nickname. "I won't be snobby, Shu, I promise. I don't think I know how to learn in a real school, though. Yuki is mean to me but he teaches me really good." 

"I know you won't be snobby, Cody, I know." Shuichi ruffled Cody's hair, which always made him giggle. It was then that there was a knock on the door. Shuichi blinked. Visitors? 

He handed Cody the punch, then walked to the door. Upon opening, his brow furrowed. 

Tohma. 

"Hello, Seguchi-san," he commented coolly. "Would you like to come in?" 

"Of course, thank you, Shindo-san," Tohma replied, just as coolly. "I came here to speak to Cody about something very important. Is he here?" 

Shuichi teetered on the edge of answering no, but Cody came shooting out from the kitchen at the sound of Tohma's voice. "Uncle TOH-ma!" he said with a flourish. "Why-EVER are you here!" 

"It seems you already know, Cody," Tohma laughed. "I was checking my calendar and discovered a date of vital importance approaching quickly. I believe the date was tomorrow, correct?" 

"Yes," Cody bubbled. 

"The instant I discovered this, I rushed over to ask you a serious question. Are you ready?" 

"I am." 

"Well, then, here it is - what DO you want for your birthday, Cody-chan?" 

Cody laughed, running over and latching on to Tohma's leg. "I KNEW you were gonna ask me that one of these days! Of course I will marry you, Uncle Tohma." 

Tohma blinked, then smiled, laughing along with Cody. "Okay, maybe I am overreacting a little bit. In all seriousness, though, I must know what to get you. Tell me, or I will buy you a chair." 

"What!" 

"I really, really will." 

"I don't want a chair. Can I tell you what I want in private?" 

"Of course," Tohma nodded, holding out his hand for Cody. "Your room?" 

"Yes," Cody confirmed, leading Tohma off to his place of seclusion. Shuichi watched them go, steaming. He was too afraid of his boss to confront him, but he felt it was all Tohma Seguchi's fault that Cody and Yuki hated each other so much. The next time he had seen Tohma after the first fight, he'd glared, earning a surprised [fake, probably] look of shock. In his mind, Tohma had manipulated Cody in his office, and Yuki over the phone. 

The bastard. 

Once in Cody's room, Tohma sat down on the bed, looking around. "Have I ever been in your room before, Cody?" 

"No, you never visit, Uncle Tohma," Cody scolded, settling himself next to the blond. "You should visit me more often." 

"Yes, I know, I know." Tohma tapped his head, silently reminding himself. Cody shifted around. 

"Anyway…what I want…I don't know if you can do it for me." 

"It can't cost THAT much, Cody. Don't worry, even if you wish for me to buy you Australia, I can still pick crumbs off the street to survive." 

"No…I don't want you to spend money on me." Cody closed his eyes, forcing himself to go on. "I want…for my birthday…all I want…is…I - I want Yuki to like me!" 

Tohma was quiet for a few moments. 

"You want Yuki to like you?" 

"I do, that's what I want, Uncle Tohma. I'm sick of him hating me, and I'm sick of fighting." Cody blushed deeply, looking down at his hands as though he were ashamed. Tohma pondered this request, letting another few minutes of silence stretch between the two. 

"I think I can help you, Cody." 

Cody looked up at Tohma, eyes shining. Tohma put a hand on Cody's cheek, locking their eyes together. 

"I promise." 

-- 

Cody would later look back on the events of that night as proof that Tohma was, indeed, god. If he wasn't, he was one of god's lackeys. That or a warlock. 

It stormed. It was a storm to beat all others, at least all others in the lifetime Cody could remember. He awoke near midnight as something crashed into his window. He sat up with a yelp, startled and pale. The howling wind gave him the impression that the building was being sucked into a tornado. 

"Shit," he whimpered, yanking his old neko-neko from the drawer where it slept and holding it tight. He felt stupid, a seven year old hugging a toy for comfort, but it helped a little. However, as cuddly as neko-neko was, it didn't blot out the flashes of light, the pounding, smattering sound of rain, or the thunderclaps that grew louder as the storm enveloped Tokyo. 

There was a boom that shook the building. It cracked in Cody's ears, sending some of his figurines tumbling from his dresser. He leapt out of bed, crying out as another boom made the entire place rattle in an unstable way. 

The obvious solution occurred to Cody, as it did to all children who were frightened by storms, or other scary nighttime things. He shot out from his room and headed straight for Shuichi and Yuki's room. Another slap of thunder helped him speed up. He stopped at the door though, panting to catch his breath. 

/What are you doing?/ 

His mind raced. No, he wouldn't go in, he couldn't go in... 

It might be like the last time... 

That was the night, wasn't it? 

/No, I can't go in, it'll happen all over again...I can't, I can't.../ 

Instead of flinging the door open and leaping into the bed like most kids afraid of storms would do, Cody curled up outside the door. He hugged his knees, breaking down into tears and sobbing. He rocked back and forth, slowly, burying his face in his arms and finding himself unable to hold back the pain. 

Such a little thing...he just wanted to hug someone because he was afraid...but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He could remember the last time- 

The door squeaked. 

"Cody?" 

Cody choked back his cries, peering up to see Shuichi towering over him. 

"What's going on...Cody?" 

Wordlessly, Cody continued his weeping, standing and wrapping himself around Shuichi's waist. Shuichi, shocked, lifted Cody up into his arms. 

"Cody...Cody! Tell me what's wrong! Is it the storm? Oh, Cody..." Realizing he wasn't about to get a sensible answer, Shuichi resorted to letting the boy cry into his shoulder. Gently, he stroked Cody's hair, unsure as of what to do. They'd had storms before. Although Cody had warned him that he was scared of storms, he'd never done this before. Maybe he'd just never woken up... 

Why this? Why now? Nothing, absolutely nothing had happened out of the ordinary to trigger such a response. 

Shuichi continued to stand there for a while, but when another thunderclap rattled his brain, he slid back into his room, closing the door quietly. 

Yuki was sitting up in bed. He was leaning back, one arm behind him, another holding up a book. There was a single light - his night stand light - but the room was bright enough from lightening. Shuichi sat down on the edge of the bed, still holding the sniffling, but calmed down Cody in his arms. 

"What the hell's his problem?" Yuki growled, nose still buried in his book. Shuichi turned, glaring, his mouth open and a scold on his lips. 

"Leave me alone, Yuki," Cody said suddenly, cutting Shuichi off. "I know you hate my damn guts. But it's now my birthday. I'm eight. For a change, maybe you could treat me like what I am...your son." 

Yuki was silent, and Shuichi's mouth hung open. 

"Cody..." 

"I'm better now, Shu. I'll go back to my own room. I wouldn't feel right sleeping somewhere when I'm only half wanted." 

Sliding from Shuichi's lap, Cody slumped out of the room, shivering when lighting lit up the house. When the thunder finally hit, he was already back in his own bed, trembling and holding back his tears. He wanted nothing more than to be with Shuichi right now. Why the hell did he have to have so much pride? He wanted to stay... 

He wept until there was nothing left to cry. 

-- 

An hour later, two hours later, and Yuki still hadn't said a word. Shuichi had stayed up for a while after Cody left, mumbling to himself if he should go get him or not. Now, asleep or awake, Shuichi was lying on his back, as far from Yuki as he could get without falling off the bed. The action hadn't gone unnoticed by Yuki, who finally turned to look at his lover. 

"Shuichi?" 

"Don't even ask me. You know what I am going to say," came the muffled, slow reply. Shuichi turned over so he was lying on his stomach, face buried in his pillow. 

Yuki sighed. 

/I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this. Why am I doing this? I don't want to do this./ 

He climbed out of bed, shuffled out of the room, and found himself standing in front of Cody's door. 

/Fine.../ 

He knocked. No answer. Sighing again, he opened the door anyway, closing it quietly behind him. He looked around Cody's room, which he hasn't been inside for years. Rain was dripping down the window as a light pattering sound echoed off the walls. The storm was either in a standstill, or it was over. Either way, there was still thunder rumbling off in the distance. Yuki checked the clock - 2 a.m. 

"Cody?" he whispered lightly, barely enough for anyone to hear. He held his breath as the figure in the bed stirred, sitting up and looking over drearily. 

"Shu...?" Cody replied quietly, his voice trailing off. "No...it's Yuki." 

"Cody..." 

"Get out of here," Cody said louder, in a harsh voice. "I d-don't feel like being insulted right now. Let me have my first few hours being eight in peace." 

"I was thinking about what you said before, Cody." Yuki ignored the order he'd just been given and pulled a chair close to the bed. Cody recoiled slightly. 

"G-get out...I said get out of here." 

"You said, 'For a change, maybe you could treat me like what I am...your son.' You've never called yourself my son before. Shuichi's, yes, but not me. Why now, Cody? What happened?" 

"I don't know - okay! I don't know what happened. I'm sick of this - I'm sick of you hating me! Why do you hate me so much?" 

Yuki looked puzzled. "Cody, I don't hate you. From the moment you saw me you gave me this horrible stare of dislike. You've hated me since the day we took you home." 

"Maybe I was just a little scared, okay? You were really tall and loud and yelling and hitting Ryuichi a lot. I was scared, okay? You scared me to hell. I've...I've always been scared of you. But I never hated you." Cody was blushing again. He couldn't believe he was saying this to Yuki. 

Yuki's face was hard set. "And you think I'm not allowed to be scared of you?" 

Cody looked up, eyes wide. 

"Shuichi hates this. He hates how we fight. But he really, really loves you. He loves you almost a little too much. And you are able to tell him you love him back." 

"Yuki..." 

"It's a little known fact, but I-" Yuki lowered his voice, cheeks going slightly pink. "I love Shuichi. It took me a while to realize it, and I still can't say it, or even show it. Here I am, nasty, cold...up against a cute, bubbly person that Shuichi adores, someone who can openly care for and love him. How do I beat that? I don't." 

Cody shuddered a bit, from what Yuki said, and because a thunderclap sounded nearby. The storm was getting bad again. The rain gently pattering on the window was turning more angry by the minute. He finally lifted his gaze, turning to stare at Yuki, stare hard at him like he used to when he was little. Yuki stared back. They stayed that way for a while, just watching in silence. 

After nearly five minutes, the building shook from impact again. Cody and Yuki both shivered. Feeling childish, Cody slowly reached out, grabbing his neko-neko once more and hugging it. 

"That's neko-neko, isn't it, Cody?" Yuki asked gently. 

Cody nodded. "Yes...he is neko-neko. Want to see him?" 

"Sure." 

Cody slipped off his bed, holding out the dirty yellow doll for Yuki to hold. Yuki took it, observing carefully. 

"When I was three, my older sister gave me a dog doll her and my mother had sewn together. I carried it in my pocket everyday until I was ten." 

"Why did you stop?" 

Yuki sighed. "It disintegrated. I was lucky to save what bits of stuffing I did. Neko-neko just reminded me, that was all." 

Cody watched Yuki observe his cat for a while. Finally, he stepped forward, climbed into Yuki's lap, and, almost possessively, put his arms around the writer, squeezing hard. Neko-neko slid from Yuki's hands as he returned the embrace, tears in his eyes. 

The pounding rain was forgotten. The two of them grabbed a flashlight, hid under the covers on Cody's bed and talked until early morning like long lost siblings who'd been missing for years, but suddenly realized they'd been together all the time and had tons to catch up on. 

The storm ended shortly thereafter. 

-- 

Shuichi awoke alone the next morning, something he was used to, but not something he enjoyed. It felt cold and lonely. He gazed around the room, then sat still. The entire house was quiet. Odd...normally if Yuki wasn't in bed, he was showering, cooking, or typing. What was it, then? He crept from the room, peering around the living living room, expecting to see Yuki asleep on the couch. It was silent as death still, and no Yuki to be found. 

The thought immediately made Shuichi paranoid. He skidded over to Cody's door, gently turning the knob and peering inside. 

"Oh, my god..." he whispered, slipping to the floor. 

Yuki was sprawled out on his back, blankets and pillows randomly twisted around him, a flashlight in one of his hands. Cody was lying on top of him, his arms around the writer's neck. They both breathed lightly, Cody randomly letting out a small snore. 

Shuichi was crying, his fingers weakly covering his eyes. 

"I...I don't believe it..." he wiped his hand across his face, sniffling back his tears. "I don't believe it..." 

He stood, shakily, closing the door behind him. He wobbled his way into the kitchen, intent on making Cody the best birthday breakfast he'd ever had in his entire life. 

Although it was nothing compared to the greatest gift he'd already gotten. 

--   
to be continued.   
-- 

follow the arrow and click, onegai shimasu.   
||   
||   
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\/ 


	6. Terror, a.

**shuichi's chickabiddy**   
**chapter 6**

-- 

Cody yawned, slowly blinking awake as the sun peeked through his window. He unlocked his arms from Yuki's neck, stretching out and yawning again. He'd stayed up all night talking. He felt as though he'd slept less than ten minutes. Looking down, he grinned at Yuki and hugged him again, happiness bursting through him as he squeezed tight. The writer stirred, slowly sitting up as he opened his eyes wearily. 

"Ugh…" 

"Yuki, are you awake?" Cody patted Yuki's cheek. "I think Shu is making breakfast." 

"I'm awake," Yuki mumbled, closing his eyes. He simple didn't do mornings. However, he couldn't help but smile, with Cody in his lap, hugging him around the chest. He'd always known Cody was a huggy person, but he'd just been an observer - never a receiver. He reached a hand up, gently stoking the boy's pink hair. It looked just like Shuichi's, but it was rougher, not as smooth or silky as the singer's. Yuki was glad to finally notice a difference. The rumor about clones had almost gotten to him. 

"Shu IS making breakfast," Cody confirmed. "Let's go, I'm hungry. Today is my birthday! Is everyone coming over?" 

"I don't know, Shuichi always arranges this. He sure invited everyone we knew last year. And the year before." Yuki swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing uneasily with Cody in his arms. It was another odd thing. He'd always known Cody weighed next to nothing, as the wimpy Shuichi could even lift him up. However, now that he really got a chance to hold him, he was almost worried. Cody was a feather. "Eating," he confirmed, "would definitely be a good idea." 

"Mm," Cody agreed, nodding. "Shuichi always makes the best birthday breakfasts." 

Yuki walked out to the kitchen. Shuichi was fully clad in apron and bandana, skipping from the stove to the microwave and back again. He yelped as Yuki poked him in the back. 

"YUKI! Don't DO that! It's scary." He spun around, immediately grinning at the way Cody was latched on to Yuki's neck. "Happy Birthday Cody…" he mumbled, trying not to cry at the image. Cody giggled, transferring himself clumsily from Yuki's arms to Shuichi's back. Shuichi stumbled, then reached behind himself, smacking his spatula lightly onto the boy's head. 

"Hey!" 

"Serves you right for startling me," Shuichi commented smugly, turning back to his cooking. Yuki gave a little sigh, reaching into the cupboard. 

"I'll set the table. Is anyone else coming over for breakfast?" 

"No…" Shuichi blushed. "It's just going to be the family." 

Yuki shrugged, setting only three plates down at the table. He and Cody stood back as Shuichi danced around the kitchen like a whirlwind, continuing his baking and frying and stirring. Within a half hour the empty table was covered in food. Cody yipped, sitting down in the middle chair and pounding his fork on his plate, waiting for everyone else to sit down so he could eat. Shuichi and Yuki paued, unsure for a moment. They lost their bearings - it had always been Yuki at the end, Shuichi in the middle and Cody on the other end. Now Cody was in the middle and the entire world was screwed up. 

They finally got over it and sat on either side of him. Shuichi dished out food, humming to himself and full of smiles. Today was too happy. It was the weekend, Cody was eight, everyone was coming over for a party later, Yuki and Cody had made up, and Yuki was being approachable for a change. 

Plus, Shuichi couldn't wait to tell Cody was his gift was going to be. He was positively floating with the suspense of wanting to see Cody's expression. 

Yuki raised an eyebrow, wondering what Shuichi was up to. He KNEW he was up to something - Shuichi never acted like this unless he thought he was being really clever. He watched patiently as Shuichi and Cody scarfed down a meal that could have fed ten people. Carefully, he picked at his own food, not really hungry at all. He was nervous, with butterflies in his stomach and everything. He'd had a secret for Cody's past few birthdays that he was going to finally give up today, afraid or not of how pathetic it might make him look. 

Sigh. 

He finally forced some eggs down his throat to please the chef, then pushed his plate away and nibbled on bacon until the other two human vacuums were done. He offered to clean, lumbering around the kitchen carting dishes to the sink. Cody and Shuichi skipped around the house, decorating and preparing and cleaning the house, just so that it could be trashed again later. 

So they came. 

A few hours later, everyone was pouring in. Hiro arrived first, as normal, and, as normal, he handed Cody an unwrapped gift, causing Shuichi to steam. 

"HIRO! You know you're supposed to wrap it and wait until everyone else arrives!" Shuichi jumped around, stomping his feet and throwing a fit. Cody dragged the karaoke machine to his room, then ran back quickly, knocking the wind out of Hiro with a giant bear hug. The guitarist laughed nervously, patting Cody on the head. Cody snuggled in appreciation. 

"I love it, Un-kul Hi-iro," Cody said slowly, knowing it made Hiro blush to be called Uncle. He watched happily as Hiro's cheeks reddened. 

Then came Ryuichi, who greeted Yuki with a Kumagoro beam. He danced away from the retaliating punches, giggling and placing his gift for Cody on the coffee table. Cody yelled over to him from Hiro's shoulders. 

"Uncle Ryuichi!" 

"Waaaaah!" Ryuichi ran over, hugging Hiro and Cody at the same time all in one movement. Hiro blushed again and Cody squeaked. "DAAA! Guess what I got you, Cody-chan!" Ryuichi squealed. 

"What!" Cody squealed back. "Wait I know - CANDY!" 

"HAAAAIIII!" Ryuichi squealed for the third time. Shuichi stuck his tongue out. 

"Spoiling him, Ryuichi, if you're really in your mid-thirties I'll eat myself. You were born yesterday." 

"I was?!" Ryuichi cried. "WAAII - I'm only a day old!" 

"Ryuichi's only a day old!" Cody cried. 

"Na no goo-goo da," Ryuichi wailed, thumping to the floor. "Wanna baba - get me a baba, daddy!" 

"Okay, baby, hold your horses," Cody sighed exaggeratedly, slipping down from Hiro's shoulders and handing Ryuichi an invisible bottle. "Happy now, son?" 

"Yes, daddy, I love to suck my baba." Ryuichi chewed on the make believe item. Cody was too amused for his own good. 

Noriko arrived, leading her daughter and husband inside by their ears. From what she was shouting, apparently they'd tried to eat the gift she supplied every year - Cody's birthday cake. 

"I told you we'd eat it when we GOT here, not when we got in the CAR! Honestly, honestly!" 

Mika arrived, Tatsuha dejectedly limping in behind her. She stormed over to Ryuichi, handing him a package of photos. 

"Sakuma-san, these belong to you now. Do NOT let my brother get to them again and please, close your windows when you shower." 

"Ooooh," Ryuichi cooed, staring at the polaroids. "I look good from this angle!" 

"Yeah," Tatsuha sighed dreamily. He whimpered in the next instant as Mika slapped him across the face. "Owch - hey! I was just AGREEING!" 

Mika mumbled something about stupid, perverted, teenager, and puberty, before heading to the kitchen to help Noriko and Shuichi prepare food. 

"EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" a voice suddenly cried. "THERE'S A MAN WITH A BOMB BEHIND ME! HE'S GOING TO KILL US ALL! GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN!!" 

Cody yelped, burying his face in Ryuichi's t-shirt. Not that it was too comforting - the singer babbled, shaking. 

"A b-b-b-bomb?!" 

Everyone else in the room stared in a bored way at the doorway, where K was cracking up, and leaning on the frame for support. 

"Hahaha - hahahaha! A bomb, a bomb! Hahahaha!" He slapped Sakano in the back as the producer meekly wandered in, sending the poor guy flying a couple of feet. K strutted to the coffee table, dropping a wrapped package amidst the others. It looked, not surprisingly, like a BB gun. Sakano sighed at it and set a book-shaped item down. 

Suguru arrived uneventually as usual. 

Tohma was last to show up. He was almost an hour late, and he had no gift. Nobody was really paying attention to him. They wandered around, eating, fighting, laughing, watching T.V., or crowding into Cody's room where the boy had set up a lovely game of chess. He headed for Cody's room, only to peer in and blink at the sight of him and Yuki playing together. 

"Checkmate," Cody cooed, smirking evily. 

Yuki raised an eyebrow, smiling a little as he stared at the board. "So you did. Good job, Cody." 

"Next time you don't have to let me win, either. TOHMA!" he cried so suddenly that Tohma jerked in surprise. "Uncle Tohma, you're late! I have the BEST thing to tell you!" He skidded over, pouncing into Tohma's arms and snuggling him. 

Tohma patted Cody's back. "Oh? What's the best thing?" 

Suspiciously, Cody looked all around, noticing some people looking interested in his and Tohma's words. "C'mon, Uncle Tohma, let's go somewhere alone. Too many people here." 

"Where shall we go? Your room is taken." 

"Uuuummmm…Shu and Yuki's room! Nobody'll be in there. Let's go!" 

Tohma nodded in agreement, turned, took a step, and then paused, uncertain. 

"Cody-chan…two things, I'm afraid." 

"Oh? What things?" Cody cocked his head to the side, puzzled. 

"First of all…I don't think Shindo-san would appreciate me in his room." 

"Wuh? Why not?" 

"Well, I won't go into it, but he doesn't like me very much at all." Tohma smiled in a sad way. 

Cody was surprised. "What! Sure he likes you, he invited you, didn't he?" 

"Of course he invited me. It would look very bad if he invited everyone he knew from N-G except for me, his boss." 

"But-" 

"Cody-chan, don't worry about it." 

Cody pounded his fists on Tohma's chest. "No - no - no - no! We're going to Shu and Yuki's room. Shuichi would never yell at me." 

"He also doesn't appreciate when I meet alone with you," Tohma sighed. "If he-" 

"If he NOTHING. Let's go, Uncle Tohma." 

Tohma couldn't help but to be persuaded by Cody's rigid certainty and determination. He shrugged. 

"Well - remember how I mentioned two things, Cody-chan?" 

"Mmm?" 

"Well - here is the second. I don't know where Shindo-san and Eiri-san's room is!" 

"Oh - oh!" Cody broke out into giggles, patting Tohma's bowler hat as if it were a kitten. "Oh, Uncle Tohma, my my my. Down the hall and to the left." 

Tohma sighed at himself, and followed Cody's instructions. He had to set the boy down to open the door, and upon doing so, found himself in a dark, secluded, simply furnished room with a large bed, night stand, and other random things, mostly articles of clothing strewn around. Enough light was filtering in through the large, curtained windows for the room to be sufficiently lit without turning on the lights. Cody ran in, hopping onto the bed - which was so large it made him look about four years old - and rolled around on it's surface, twittering merrily. 

"And what might you two need with a bed so big?" Tohma muttered to himself with a smirk. He sat down, watching Cody roll around for a fair amount of time. It was highly amusing, and made Tohma wish he was immature enough to roll around too. He was so tempted that he assured himself he would have if nobody else had been in the house...if there was no chance of anyone walking in on him. 

He shook the thought out of his head, noticing that Cody'd stopped rolling. 

"So what's this best thing, Cody-chan?" 

Cody looked around, then pulled himself into Tohma's lap. He hugged him around the waist, grinning into his shirt, causing Tohma to smile a little. "It happened, Uncle Tohma. Really!" 

"It happened? All I am aware of happening was that big storm last night." 

"YES! I got scared, and I ran into my par-…Shu and Yuki's room," Cody said, blushing at his almost slip-up. "Yuki kinda yelled at me…so I left…but then he came into my room…he talked to me, and he says he never even hated me at all!" 

"Really?" Tohma felt his smile widening. 

"YES! He gave me a big hug, and then we lay…lied…laid…down in my bed, and talked forever. He told me a lot of things, he told me that you even knew him when he was MY age!" 

"I did," Tohma nodded solemnly. "Since he was your age." 

"Yeah, it was so cool! Anyway, I guess I fell asleep but when I woke up I found out he hadn't left, he'd slept with me all night long! And it was great because I'd wanted to sleep with Shu, but instead I slept with Yuki and I wasn't scared of the storm anymore and I wasn't scared of Yuki either!" 

Tohma couldn't help but sigh fondly at Cody's child-like innocence. He returned Cody's ever present embrace, patting the boy's back. "I'm so happy for you, Cody." 

"See Uncle Tohma? You promised me Yuki would like me and you were right. And you didn't have to do a thing!" Cody nuzzled his nose into Tohma's neck, thinking to himself that Tohma probably HAD done something…but that could be their little secret. 

"I'm VERY pleased with that, Cody." Tohma winked and gave Cody another squeeze, thinking to himself that he should go talk to Eiri about this later. Perhaps Shuichi, too. He knew Shuichi thought he'd twisted Eiri and Cody into hating one another, that day when he'd spoken to them both about it. He didn't blame him - it had started that day, and Tohma was known for his share of manipulating. He frowned, thinking about it. Cody looked up, puzzled by the serious expression Tohma wore. 

"Uncle Tohma?" 

"I'm sorry Cody." Tohma smiled once more. "Like I said, I really am so happy for you both. However, is that all you came in here to discuss with me? Perhaps you wanted another birthday gift, since you obviously took care of your first request without me." He sighed in an exaggerated way. "Kids today. Next thing you know you'll be asking for a pony - then buying one yourself! Is there any hope for people like me?" Another exaggerated sigh. 

Cody laughed. "I do have something else I want…but it's nothing you can help me with, I think." 

"Oh?" 

"Yeah…it's something I want to do for Shu." Cody bit his lip, looking down at the ground. "I've wanted to do it for a while, but I just can't." 

"What's that?" Tohma was genuinely curious. 

"Well…see…I don't remember my real dad…but I know he wasn't good," Cody forced out. He fell quiet very fast. 

Tohma understood. "So it's hard for you to think about calling Shindo-san dad?" 

Cody gulped, feeling like there were a million weights pressing down on his shoulders. "Yes. I know he's sad that I won't do it. The first time he ever asked what I'd call him, he suggested dad and I flipped out. He's always hinting at it and he's been really sad lately. He's been calling me son more and more. I don't know what to do…he thinks I only love him because he's my idol. Like the way that he loves Sakuma-san." 

"That's a bit different," Tohma broke in. "He loves Sakuma-san more like a brother. Like a brother who's been there, done that, and helps him with his music. You know? It used to be idol worship, but not anymore." 

"EXACTLY!" Cody cried, catching Tohma off guard. "For a long time he was just my idol, especially when he would bring me in when he recorded his albums, but now I find myself just missing him all the time and I'm so happy when he gets home. I feel really warm and safe when he holds me and I feel nice when he kisses me goodnight…I think that's how a father and son should be…but I just can't call him dad…it hurts too much…but I think it hurts him more…" 

He trailed off, his words settling in Tohma's ears. The older man pondered, not sure if there was an easy solution to this or not. As if on cue, Shuichi's happy, nasally voice floated through the building. 

"FOOD'S READY!" 

"Food's ready," Cody repeated the obvious. Tohma nodded. 

"Better head out, then. Don't keep your father waiting." 

Cody nodded, skirting out the door quickly. His cheeks were red from the way Tohma had addressed Shuichi as his father. 

Tohma watched him go, then turned to look out the window. He stared for a while, perplexed by the simple task of living for a moment. Poor Shuichi...Tohma doubted if Cody would ever call him father. 

He stepped into the living room, smiling at the scene. Cody was back in Shuichi's arms, the baka easily holding the eight year old with one hand while dishing out food with another. Hiro, Suguru, and Sakano lounged about on the couch, laughing at something on T.V. Ryuichi was trailing Shuichi, looking sadly bored. He saw Yuki and brightened up, running over to bother the poor man. Yuki grumbled, as he had been deep in conversation with Mika about something. Noriko, dead drunk, was lounging in K's lap, chortling over something as her daughter looked on, horrified. Tatsuha was hiding under the table. Go figure. 

/I can't imagine a happier family for Cody to grow up in,/ Tohma thought to himself, watching this all very closely. His train was broken off as the doorbell rang, piercing the air with its shrill sound. Yuki looked up, then walked over, perplexed. Who'd be ringing the bell? Everyone normally just came in. 

Besides, wasn't everyone here? 

The door swung open, and everyone blinked, staring rudely at the man who stood there. 

He was tall, with a nice looking face. He wore a gray suit and tie, a briefcase in one hand, the other in his pocket. His shoes were shiny, as were his spotlessly clean glasses. Thoughtful brown eyes scanned the room. 

"Hello," he said. 

"Mm," replied Yuki. 

The man smiled kindly. "I've come all the way from Kyoto to be here..." 

"Who the hell are you, then?" Yuki inquired gruffly. 

Deep brown stared coldly into gold. 

"I'm Cody's father." 

--   
to be continued.   
-- 

follow the arrow and click, onegai shimasu.   
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	7. Terror, b.

**shuichi's chickabiddy**   
**chapter 7**

-- 

"His...what?" 

The man bowed gracefully, his eyes twinkling behind the round glasses. Shuichi was reminded forcibly of Crawford from Weiß. "Father. I am Cody's father. My name is Yamaguchi - I believe if you check the records, that boy is also Cody Yamaguchi." 

Yuki's chest swelled as he took in a deep breath. "I see." 

Shuichi cowered along the far wall. He winced as Cody's fingers dug into his flesh. He was trembling, shaking, shuddering so hard that Shuichi was afraid he was going to have a seizure. 

"Cody was dumped in an adoption agency's orphanage because his mother was dead and his father was in jail," Yuki said smoothly. Shuichi could have kissed his feet for handling this. Yuki was being cool and collected - Shuichi would have been rolling around on the floor throwing a nervous temper tantrum. 

"I was in jail," Yamaguchi replied, "for the murder of my wife." 

Yuki's eyes narrowed. 

"However, recent photographic evidence proved what I said all along - I never killed my beloved wife. It was suicide - she had gotten pregnant by another man, and, when I discovered this, I told her it was over. She was distraught, beyond dead - so she borrowed her boyfriend's gun and shot herself in the head. I found her when I returned home minutes later. The police arrived as I stooped over her, obviously upset. They took it for insanity. You can imagine how bad it looked to them...so I was jailed. I haven't seen my precious Cody since." He peered over Yuki's shoulder, his gaze landing on Shuichi, who was pressing as hard as he could against the wall on the other side. Cody was clinging to him harder than ever, his face buried in Shuichi's shoulder. 

Ryuichi let out a small squeak. Hiro stepped forward. 

"What are you going to do? You can't...I mean, Cody was legally adopted..." 

"Of course, I want my son back. He was wrongfully taken from me, and now that I am free, out in the fresh air where I should have been these past six years." 

Shuichi let out a terrified whimper. It had just hit him, and it'd hit him right between the eyes. 

"This was a legal adoption," Tohma stepped forward, his voice piecing the silence. "You cannot-" 

"But, I can," the man cooed, smiling sweetly still. "It's all been arranged. I am a lawyer, respectable, with a solid paycheck and a nice house. Cody would have a better childhood with me. They've seen the stories, the rumors, the pictures. I see that my son has pink hair - Pink. Hair! I will provide him with a proper education, not pathetic home taught lessons dictated by some romance novel writer." 

Yuki's lip curled slightly. 

"Would Cody do better at home with me and my fiancee, or with - this," he gestured around the room, a tiny little hint of a smile remaining on his face now. "The judges agree. Cody needs to get away from this fame, get his feet back on the ground, and be raised by a father - not an idol." 

Shuichi's breath caught in his throat, and he felt Cody's grip tighten even further. Slowly, still clutching the boy to him, Shuichi slid to the ground, finally slumping over and trembling as a single tear fell down his cheek, sliding off his nose. 

"Shu," Cody whispered, so quietly that nobody could hear him but Shuichi, "Shu...that's not true, Shu..." It was the first thing he'd said since his father came in. 

"It is," Shuichi gasped in a shuddering breath, "It is true..." 

"Shu...no..." 

"You don't think of me as a dad," Shuichi whimpered, his voice cracking. "You never did, Cody, you never...you can't...Cody...my chickabiddy...my..." 

"No..." Cody struggled to say it, fought himself, fought the burning eyes of his father...he could feel them, boring into his skull. Someone was shouting...it was Hiro, wasn't it? Yelling at his father...they were all angry...but he could hardly hear it...he was just with Shuichi, Shuichi, Shuichi...Shuichi... 

He fought, the word on his lips, in his heart. He felt the tears on his face, felt the soft fabric of Shuichi's shirt against his cheek. Shuichi was sobbing, somewhere above him. 

"Shu...please...I love you, Shu...I love you..." He wanted to die. He wanted to kill himself. Why couldn't he say it? Why not? Shuichi needed it...WHY? 

"God, I love you too, Cody, I love you too..." Shuichi buried his face in Cody's hair, still sobbing gently. He could feel everyone's eyes on them now, but he didn't care. /They can't...I...I won't let him.../ 

A voice was talking. "Cody? Cody?" 

"No," Cody whispered. 

"Cody, it's me, your dad. Ready to pack up your stuff?" 

"No," Cody said, louder. "No!" 

His father smiled. "This is all very touching. However, I will return tomorrow to pick up Cody and his things. I hope I will not need to escort him out with a police officer. It was nice meeting all of you, and being shouted at by all of you too." He waved daintily, lifting his briefcase in one hand. As he was nearly out the door, Yuki stopped him. 

"I don't like you," he growled under his breath. "You can't do this." 

"Yes, I can," the man said coldly. "Please move, all these rock punks are making my hair fall out." 

Yuki stood aside, wishing whole heatedly that it wasn't illegal to just beat somebody up and leave them, bloody and broken, in some random gutter. 

He was gone. But the pain stayed in the room. 

-- 

Everyone left. Cody and Shuichi didn't move from their spot on the floor for nearly an hour. Yuki let them. He loved Cody too, but he wasn't as deeply bonded to the boy as Shuichi was and vice versa. He'd really barely known the real Cody for a day. 

He locked himself in his office. He spent the entire day researching, printing, emailing, faxing, calling and worrying. The case looked open and shut. They had photos of the woman lying on her back, dead, the gun in her hand. He found a bit of an article from when she originally died:   
  
...shot twice in the head. Her husband, Yamaguchi Shingo, was found, bloody, intoxicated, and distraught, hovering over her body and crying when police arrived. The gun was registered under his name. He is receiving a life sentence for the murder.   
Their small son, Yamaguchi Cody, two, was later found locked in basement, crying from hunger. He appeared to have been there for a few days. He will be put up for adoption presently. 

/Presently, my ass,/ Yuki thought bitterly, flipping through the papers. In the silence, he paused, and heard what he thought he had heard - whispers. Cody and Shuichi were whispering to each other, and had been for a while. Yuki frowned a little as the whispering stopped. He heard walking, then a door close gently somewhere off in the dark regions of the building. From what he could concur, they were now in his room. 

He continued to study what he considered the stupidest case in the world. No fingerprint records, no nothing, the fact that she was posed to look like she'd done it the only proof standing between keeping a possible killer in jail or not. 

It was a long night. 

-- 

Chirp, chirp, chirp. 

Ah, birds. Birds in the morning. Birds in the...ugh...fucking morning. 

Long night indeed. Yuki snapped awake, only to find his back aching from a night of sleep slumped over his desk with papers as a pillow. He growled at the way he'd drooled all over some of his notes. He sighed, sitting up and shuffling them around once more. 

First, he noticed the silence. Second, he noticed the doorbell ringing. Third, he realized what was going on. 

"Bullshit," he mumbled, slumping out and over to the door. Upon opening it, he was greeted with the creepy smiling face of Cody's father. 

"Hello," he said cheerfully. Yuki swayed between spitting in the guy's face and slamming the door. Instead, he stared dully. 

"Go away." 

"I said I'd be back to get Cody today - and it's now today! Is he all ready to go home?" 

"He is home," Yuki growled. 

The man sighed, shook his head and handed Yuki a stack of papers. "Fool. He's my son. You're not his father. I am." 

"You're right, I'm not much of a father to him. But if you take him away from Shuichi, you'll rip both their hearts out." 

Another sigh. "Just as my own was so many years ago." 

Yuki was doing a quick scan of the papers. He felt ready to burst from anger. Throwing them down, he brought a fist to the man's nose, stopping himself an inch before he would have punched him. 

"Doesn't anyone care how Cody feels?" 

"No." The man's glare was ice. 

"Get your fucking ass back to jail where it belongs," Yuki snarled. "You know it. I know it. I'm looking for the proof." 

"Good luck finding proof that isn't there. Now, go fetch my boy for me." 

A police officer stepped up behind the man. Yuki stared at him - the two of them were easily a foot shorter than him. He could take them. He could...take...no. There was no use fighting...was there? This wasn't going to end in their favor... /I'll let him go now...I can prove this later and get him back within the week...right?/ 

Nodding slightly, Yuki slipped out of sight and into his room. 

Empty. 

It was empty. Yuki scanned the entire space, his eyes narrowing as he saw the closet. He stalked over, tearing it open. He looked inside and shook his head sadly. 

"Shuichi...honestly." 

Shuichi and Cody blinked up at him. Shuichi was leaning against the wall, his long legs spread out in front of him. Cody lay on his chest, the two of them clutching each other tightly. Shuichi's expression changed from scared to almost angry. 

"Yuki, we're hiding here so they can't take Cody. If they can't find us, they'll give up and go home! Don't tell them where we are - please, Yuki?" 

Cody nodded hopefully. 

"Baka..." Yuki sighed. "Shuichi, you really are that dense...you think they won't find you in your own closet? Took me about three seconds." Shuichi's face fell at Yuki's words. Yuki crouched down, afraid he might cry at how desperate these two really were. "Please, Shuichi...I have a plan...you have to let Cody go..." 

"NO!" Shuichi cried loudly. Yuki winced. At the door, Cody's father was smirking uncontrollably. 

"Shuichi..." 

"You're on their side!" 

"Shuichi..." 

"Maybe he's right," Cody whispered quietly. "I'm so afraid...I don't remember him...but I'm so afraid...afraid of him...of what he could do to you..." 

Shuichi shut his eyes tightly. "Cody, no...you can't go, I told you, you can't go..." 

Almost like he was hypnotized, Cody shook his head sadly, sliding off Shuichi's lap and crawling from the closet. Shuichi gasped from horror, crawling out after him. Yuki was the one who was angry now. Fools...he'd find the proof...he'd get Cody back...right? Even he was unsure...and he knew that Shuichi wouldn't be able to handle what was going to happen in a few minutes. It was inevitable. Shuichi'd raised Cody for the past few years, and during that time, he'd hardly been separated from the boy for a few hours, let alone what might now be days...weeks...months... 

Shuichi wouldn't survive. 

Yuki followed them out, his hatred flaring up in his chest instantly as he saw Yamaguchi's twisted, smirking face. Cody walked until he was five feet from his father. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then the ultimate, sheer force of it came crashing down on him. This was the man that he couldn't remember, yet was so afraid of that he couldn't call Shuichi dad in fear of remembering something. 

He turned on his heel, bolting into Shuichi's arms. The singer cradled him gently, burying his nose in the soft hair. 

"I won't let you go, Cody, I can't let you go!" 

"Shu," Cody gasped, sounding as though he couldn't breathe, "Shu, please...don't...don't let him get me..." 

"Time to go home, Cody!" came the merry cry from the doorway. Jesus fucking christ, Yuki hated this man. 

"No," Shuichi whimpered, and the tone was obviously tinted with grief. "No...no! I need you, Cody..." 

"Don't let him get me!" 

"TIME TO GO HOME, SON!" The man cried a bit louder. He took a step forward, staring angrily as Yuki growled deep in his throat. Shuichi attempted to wrap himself around Cody, to shield the boy from his father. Yamaguchi ignored Yuki's growling and stepped even closer. "Cody? Come on, time to go now." 

Shuichi felt his final moments slipping away. "Cody...I never got to tell you...what I was going to do, for your birthday..." 

"Let's GO, Cody!" the man shouted angrily. 

"Shu..." Cody whimpered. 

"I was...was...g-going to..." Shuichi sniffed back his tears. "I-I...w-was...going to...to let you...let you come on stage with me, Cody...our next tour starts soon...I know it was your d-dream..." 

"Oh god, Shu!" Cody whispered frantically, his voice watery. "I...you were going to...I could sing...with you, Shu?" 

"Yes, Cody, yes...please...come back and sing with me still...I can't stand it...I don't want you to go, Cody - please!...NO! - NO!" 

Shuichi began screaming as Cody's father reached down and lifted the boy, tearing him from Shuichi's grasp. Cody flailed like a fish that had been hooked and was suddenly in the clutches of suffocation. Yuki jumped forward, grabbing Shuichi around the waist and holding him down. Both pink haired boys fought. 

"CODY!! CODY - COME BACK, CODY, PLEASE LET CODY GO - I NEED HIM!" 

"SHU! No...Shu..." Cody trailed off as his father shifted him around so he could no longer see the singer. Shuichi's screams followed him to the door. "Shu..." the boy whispered. "You know what I wish I could say..." 

The door slammed, and Shuichi's insane screaming intensified. 

"CODY!! CODY!!! YUKI - LET GO OF ME! YOU'RE ON HIS SIDE! YOU ALWAYS HATED CODY! YOU HATE ME! YOU'RE WITH THEM - LET ME THE HELL GO!" 

Yuki ignored the cries, but he had to turn his face away to hide the tears brimming in his own eyes. Shuichi finally settled, slumping in Yuki's arms and sobbing uncontrollably. 

"Cody..." 

-- 

Later that night, Yuki passed by Cody's room. The door was slightly ajar, and, upon peering inside, he saw Shuichi, lying on the small bed and clutching neko-neko. His weeping was something to shatter the coldest heart. 

Yuki would never forget how it sounded. 

-- 

Cody hugged his knees to his chest, which just caused him to sink into the couch. His heart beat a million times a minute - he could hear the clanking from the kitchen. 

His father was drinking. 

Lies, lies, lies. There was no finance. There was no happiness here. Cody'd be deposited on the couch, then ignored...until now. Bad memories, just flashes of pictures, spattered Cody's mind. He was about two and a half when he last saw his dad, and he couldn't remember a thing clearly. However, bits and pieces floated through his mind. And he was afraid. 

There was a coughing noise, then a splattering sound. His father was now throwing up whatever he'd obviously drank too much of. Cody tried to shrink into the couch, out of sight. 

The silhouette of his drunken dad appeared in the doorway from the kitchen. The round glasses were dangling off one ear. Cody shivered. 

"Schtupid...schutpid kid," he mumbled, his voice slurred almost to a point beyond recognition. "You shaw - didn't you? You shaw me kill her. You were shtanding there holding you cat. Staring. You didn't even cry, you're a man, aren't you, Cody." 

Cody said nothing. 

"I'm'a kill you, boy." His father stood straight, making himself look incredibly large. Cody uttered a small whimper and slid off the couch, pressing himself into the wall instead. "I'm'a kill you, boy! Don't run away, I shoot your ass. Your sorry little ass. You could tell them people...that I did kill her. You could...I shwear I shoot you if you don't do what I shay!" 

Cody growled, backing further into the wall. His father pressed a hand to the small boy's chest, smiling a little. 

"Whossha good little boy." 

"Go away," Cody said quietly, firmly, turning his head to avoid the drunken stink pouring from his father's mouth. The man chuckled, taking his free hand and running it up Cody's leg gently. 

"Whossha good little boy." 

Cody trembled as the hand was lifted from his leg, then slid down through his waistband. His father held him roughly, a small breath wheezing out from between his lips. 

"Cody, Cody - are you a man yet, Cody?" 

"Go away!" Cody said again, his voice shaking as much as he was. "I said go away!" 

"Don't talk to me like that - shtupid kid! Now lay on the ground!" 

"NO!" Cody screamed, hitting his dad across the face and slipping from his grasp. He heard a roar of rage and felt a rough hand grab him from behind. 

"I SAID LAY ON THE GROUND!" 

Cody was forced to the floor on his stomach, his hands held behind his back in a viselike grip. He gritted his teeth as he felt his legs being spread apart, felt himself being probed with harsh fingers...felt something press up against him...heard his father's groans... 

In a burst of terror, Cody found strength, flipping around and kicking his father hard. As the man cried in pain, Cody stumbled up, and ran. 

He ran for his life, searching for the door, for the way out. He paused to look left and right. 

Then the shots rang out. 

Cody's small body was thrown into the wall with the impact. He cried out as the metal ripped through his flesh. 

Once. 

Twice. 

Three times. 

He stumbled, falling to his knees and letting out a strangled moan of pain. The blood soaked his shirt. He tried to stand. 

Again. 

The fourth shot brought the small boy crashing to the floor. Barely able to see, Cody watched the ceiling fade. Shuichi's face was in his mind. He wanted to reach out and touch it, but his arms refused to obey. 

"I'm sorry...Dad..." he whispered. He hoped with all his heart that Shuichi could hear him, that Shuichi would be happy for him, proud of him...wherever he was. 

Then it was dark. 

His father stood over him, panting as the gun slipped from his hands. 

"Shit," he mumbled. "Not again." 

He grabbed the bloody, broken child, hauling him out to the car and throwing him in the back seat. Then he took off into the night. 

-- 

"Shuichi - I've got it! I've got it, I have the proof. Shuichi - listen to me!" Yuki knelt by the couch, shaking Shuichi's shoulders gently. The singer wiped his eyes off, turning to look bleakly at Yuki. 

"What did you find?" 

"Look. According to this case, Cody's mother committed suicide by shooting herself in the head. Right?" 

"Yes, Yuki...I already know this...please-" 

"Okay. These pictures show that she was spread out on the floor, the gun in her right hand, the bullet wound in the right side of her head. Right?" 

Shuichi turned away from the images. "Stop it, Yuki." 

"We've got him, Shuichi." Yuki shuffled papers and pointed. "This woman...she was left handed." 

Shuichi turned back, looking at the paper. "Left...handed..." 

"As in her right hand would be useless for holding a gun steady to her head." 

There was a pause of silence between them. Quite suddenly, Shuichi jumped up. Fear coursed through his veins. 

"Yuki - that means Cody is with a killer right now!" 

"We have to go get him," Yuki breathed. "I'll go start the car." 

However, the two of them froze at the next sound they heard. Something had been thrown at their door. It sounded as though someone had hit the building with a sack of potatoes. After that noise, one of squealing tires. 

Shuichi's heart pounded against his chest. He pushed Yuki aside, ignoring his cries of "Wait!". He opened the door slowly, then stared. 

Rushing over, Yuki looked over his shoulder at what lie on their porch. 

"Jesus christ..." Yuki mumbled, taking a step back. "Shuichi...don't..." 

Too late. Shuichi dropped to his knees, reaching out and taking the still, silent form of Cody into his arms. The boy was covered in fresh, glistening blood. His pink hair was matted with the darkening stains, his small mouth open as if in an attempt to cry out for help. 

"Cody..." Shuichi mumbled, holding the child close to his chest. "Cody, wake up. Cody, wake up. Cody, wake up. Cody, wake up." 

Yuki turned away. 

"Cody, wake up. Cody, wake up. Cody, wake UP! CODY! WAKE UP! CODY - CODY! NO - CODY!!" 

Shuichi sucked in a gasping breath as he rocked back and forth, clutching Cody as tight as he possibly could. The tears came fast, sliding down his cheeks, mingling with the blood on Cody's face. He sobbed, then threw his head back to cry out his son's name, letting out a strangled scream at the night sky. 

--   
now i get to leave you all waiting for the explanation of what actually happened. please don't leave me evil reviews about how angsty i am until you know what i am really doing here.   
and no the next chapter isnt going to be shuichi waking up and screaming WHAT A BAD DREAM!   
yes. there is a reason yuki's father acts just like a really nasty yuki kitazawa. 

to be continued.   
-- 

follow the arrow and click, onegai shimasu.*   
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	8. We're going home soon.

**shuichi's chickabiddy**   
**chapter 8**

-- 

Did any of it really happen? 

Three days ago, Cody and Yuki were heated enemies. 

Two days ago, they resolved their differences and Cody's father appeared. 

One day ago, Cody had been taken away, Shuichi's heart being ripped out along with him. 

Something had to be illegal. Something had to be wrong. It had happened to fast, like a bad daytime soap opera where the wife finds out she'd been the mother of her husband all along. Life wasn't meant to go that fast. It was a complete blur to Yuki. 

Was it only a few years ago that he'd even met Shuichi, in that damned park? Had he ever really wanted to be rid of the singer? Since when did Shuichi want to be a dad, anyway? Wasn't it that talk show? Was all this because Yuki'd gone on a talk show that morning just to make Shuichi jealous? 

Yes. 

It was, wasn't it. 

Yuki stared at the clock on the blindingly white hospital wall. 2 a.m. It'd only been that long? 

//Shuichi continued screaming, Cody's body clutched in his arms. Yuki crouched down, taking the boy and snarling as Shuichi clawed for him back. 

"Shuichi! Calm the fuck down - give him to me!" 

Giving up, not able to fight Yuki, Shuichi collapsed against the door, gasping in as he breathed raggedly. He began continuously pounding his head on the hard wood. 

Yuki carried Cody inside, laying him out flat on his back and pressing his ear to the boy's chest. At first, nothing. Frantically, Yuki began slamming his fist down on the small body. "Damn it, Cody - come on!" 

"Yuki! YUKI! Stop it - stop doing that! YUKI YOU'RE BEATING HIM UP!" Shuichi's high pitched cries reached Yuki's ears before his physical retaliation did. Yuki whipped his head around, narrowing his eyes and stopping Shuichi cold before he could even try to pull Yuki away. 

"Do you want me to try and save him or not!? Shuichi - this is dead serious! Call for an ambulance! NOW!" 

Shuichi scrambled away, his cries temporarily subdued by fear. Yuki bent over, listening for a heartbeat again. 

Christ. 

He was alive. 

Grabbing a blanket, Yuki wrapped it around the small figure in an attempt to keep him warm. Cody was in shock - he'd probably lost more blood than was mortally healthy - but he was alive at this moment, and, for the sake of the one he loved, Yuki would not let Cody die. 

The ambulance arrived. They were all loaded up and taken away. At this point, Yuki wouldn't have been surprised if they'd dropped Shuichi off in the mental ward. He was that out of his mind.// 

Sigh. 

Two hours. Shuichi was in the room, Yuki was not, Cody was, or he wasn't. The writer was unaware of the boy's state. He was more focused on thinking about the boy's father. Where'd he go after 'dumping the body'? If he wasn't found, Cody was still in danger. Yuki was certain that the damn drunken asshole tried to kill his son because Cody was a witness to the original murder. He held back from feeling sorry for the guy. He was more than well aware that perfectly normal, respectable people could do horrible, unexplainable things when under the influence of alcohol. And he knew that's what did it – Cody had the stench of it all over him. 

Yuki looked up as the door opened suddenly. Shuichi stood there, framed in the filtering light from the room. He stared at Yuki blandly. 

"Shuichi?" Yuki inquired. He couldn't tell from looking if the news was good or bad. He did, however, notice the bloody gauze wrapped around the joint in Shuichi's right arm. They'd been taking blood from him, and it was obvious - the singer was pale and frail looking. Yuki could only hope the doctors had taken what amount was healthy, not what amount Shuichi felt he should give. 

The suspense was tearing Yuki apart. He opened his mouth to ask, but Shuichi finally complied. His face broke out into a watery smile. 

"He's fine." 

Yuki stood up as Shuichi collapsed into his arms, weeping. "He's fine...he's fine, Yuki, he's going to live, Yuki...oh god..." 

Smiling, Yuki led Shuichi over to the bench, wiping off his eyes. "Shuichi, calm down, it's okay. Tell me what happened." 

Shuichi nodded, sniffling. "He's lost a lot of blood...see, that's why it was so bad...he was shot four times. Here," Shuichi pointed to his shoulder, "here," then his upper arm, "here," his thigh, "and here," his calf. "His arm's broken, but they took out all the bullets and otherwise there's just tissue and muscle damage. It'll all heal...eventually...but he needs to be in bed for a while, then in a cast for a while. He looked so bad because of all the bleeding, it got all over him and made it look like he'd been shot in the chest. That's what the doctor thought at first. Then they took off his clothes and cleaned him up and nothing vital was hit. He was passed out from the pain, shock, and blood loss...his body was about to send itself into cardiac arrest, they think what you did might have saved his life..." 

Here, Shuchi grabbed Yuki's arm and snuggled into him, causing the writer to go a little pink. 

"Anyway, they needed some blood donated, and I'm A blood type, and Cody is A blood type..." Shuichi blushed, probably seeing this as some kind of father son bonding proof. "I donated a quart...or...two...I don't know...but now my arm hurts, Yuki, please kiss it and make it better." 

Shuichi stuck his arm out in front of Yuki, who rolled his eyes and gave it a little kiss. This caused Shuichi to squeal and glomp Yuki tightly around the waist. As grumbly as he was outwardly, Yuki could have cried on the inside. Shuichi was being his old self again, the old self he was afraid he'd never see again yesterday. /Give me the happily dorky Shuichi over the broken one any day.../ 

"Shindo-san!" The nurse looked out the door, her cheeks flushing at the site of Shuichi wrapped all over Yuki Eiri. She cleared her throat, voice cracking. "He's waking up. You can come in now." 

Shuichi yelped and stumbled back into the room. The nurse stared at Yuki, bright as a beet. Yuki dully looked at the wall. 

"Are you going in, Yuki-san?" She asked timidly. 

"No," Yuki sighed. "I'm going to to give those two their time." 

"Ah," The nurse checked her watch. "What do you know, I'm on break." 

To Yuki's dismay, she bustled over and sat down next to him, grinning. He groaned a little bit, wishing he could have a cigarette right then and there. 

-- 

The room was dark, and Shuichi's eyes had to re-adjust once again. He hurried over to the bed, excited to see Cody wake up. For the past few hours, he'd been dreading it wouldn't happen at all. 

Cody was stirring slightly, twisting around a bit, probably uncomfortable in his cast. His eyes fluttered, opening part way. In the dim light he could just barely see Shuichi's face hovering somewhere in space above him. 

"Dad?" he ventured, voice timid. Shuichi frowned. 

"No, Cody...he's not here anymore, he's gone. It's me, Shu." 

Cody finally awoke fully, his face brightening and his large, brown eyes opening completely. Shuichi really WAS there, frowning down at him in a confused way. It wasn't like before, when he just imagined Shuichi was there. He was, he was now. 

"DAD!" he cried, trying to reach his arms out but finding himself unable to move one of them. Instead he just grabbed hold of Shuichi one handed, pulling the singer down onto his chest and clinging to him as best as he could. Tears welled up in his eyes as he realized he'd not only survived, but he was calling Shuichi dad. He bit back his grin. 

"Cody, I just said..." Shuichi was the one in a state of shock now, as he found himself suddenly vertical, Cody wrapped around him and snuggling into his shoulder. "I uh..." 

"And I wasn't talking about that man," Cody raised himself up a bit to whisper into Shuichi's ear. "I'm talking about my /dad/." 

Shuichi felt his heart skip a beat. 

"You..." 

Cody giggled, nodding. 

"You mean...me?" 

Cody nodded again, snuggling Shuichi closer. He heard a little squeak above him. 

"Oh - Cody! You called me dad - you called me dad THREE TIMES!!" Shuichi burst out crying, his salty tears sliding down his cheek onto Cody's face. "And you're alive, and you're safe, you're not going to leave me again, you called me dad...oh, Cody, what happened? Jesus christ, you could have died..." Shuichi wrapped his arms tightly around his son, wishing he never had to let go. Cody continued to hug him back, cursing his broken arm. 

"He was just lying, he doesn't even have a fiance...he got drunk, and he told me he was going to shoot me because I was the only witness to my mom's murder..." 

"So Yuki was right," Shuichi mumbled. 

"But he told me I wouldn't die if I laid on the floor...and if I...mm..." Cody bit his lip, this part of his memory fuzzy, mostly because he didn't understand it at all. However, he could feel that Shuichi had gone rigid. 

"He...WHAT?!" Sitting up, Shuichi looked down at the now scared Cody, his eyes trailing him up and down. "Cody - he molested you?!" 

"I don't know what he did, it was just really creepy!" Cody cried. "He put his hand on my leg, then..." 

"What? Cody, you HAVE to tell me what he did!" 

Cody turned bright red, shivering at what he could remember. "He put his hand in my pants...and he was grabbing me really hard, and...I tried to push him away, but he held me down and...and I don't know!" Cody put his hands to his face, not sure at all what had happened at this point. Shuichi looked like he was going to kill something...his eyes were glowering, and he was gritting his teeth. 

"For god's sake...is there anyone in this entire god damned world who can be trusted?! Can there be ONE PART OF MY LIFE that's not been hurt like this?! First, Yuki - then, me - now Cody?! Cody - did he rape you?! God damn it..." 

"Rape?" Cody whimpered. "He didn't hurt me anymore...he just...he pulled my legs apart and wouldn't stop touching me...I was really afraid, he was making awful sounds, and I felt something...funny...I kicked him and I tried to run away...that's when he shot me, I guess...then I woke up, here, just a few minutes ago...I thought I was going to die, but instead I can't feel my leg and my arm is in this thing..." 

He looked up at Shuichi and cringed. Still angry, the heat rising to his face, Shuichi clenched his fists, wanting nothing more at that moment than to ram a fist down Yamaguchi's throat... 

...then he saw Cody. The boy was cowering, whimpering, afraid. The image brought Shuichi's insides crashing down. 

"Please, don't look that way...please...Dad?" Cody asked hopefully. Shuichi softened immediately, sitting down again and allowing Cody to glomp him once more. 

"I'm sorry, Cody. I just...I have a hard time hearing about things like that," he said softly, caressing Cody's hair with his hand. "What he did was wrong. You know that, right Cody?" 

"You two haven't brought me up THAT stupid, Sh-....D-dad." Cody stuttered over his words, still not quite used to it. Kitty ears popped up on Shuichi's head. 

"Say it again!" he mewled. 

"Dad," Cody giggled. 

"Again!" 

"Dad!" 

"Yatta!" Shuichi cried, hugging Cody again. "Son!" 

"Dad!" 

"Idiots," Yuki grumbled, stepping into the room quietly. He was incredibly testy after being interrogated by the overly happy nurse, but the fact that, upon entering the room, all he could see was Cody being hugged by Shuichi and the two of them shouting random things at one another, cheered him up. He joined Shuichi, sitting down on the edge of the bed. He rolled his eyes at all the giggling. 

"Yuki," Shuichi snickered, "guess what I am." 

"A dumbass." 

"No, YU~KI! Cody, what am I?" 

"A dumbass?" 

"NO!!!" Shuichi pouted, his lower lip devouring the upper. Yuki let off a gentle smile as Cody giggled uncontrollably. Shuichi wiggled around, insulted. The poofy, pouty look on his face was enough to make Yuki kiss him. He didn't, but it was still enough. A little smile on his lips, Yuki turned to Cody, the mischievous glint gone from his eyes. 

"But really, Cody – what's got Shuichi so excited?" 

Cody shrugged, slumping forward so his head was buried in Shuichi's arm. "No clue. What's gotcha so excited, dad?" 

Yuki raised an eyebrow as Shuichi began glowing, his poofy pout turning into the smallest little "u" shaped smile. He shook, looking at Yuki with an unrestrained, insane sparkle in his gaze. 

"You hear-?" 

"Yes, I hear." Yuki wished he could lift Cody into his arms and give him a cuddle. The simple thought made Yuki feel all shojo-anime lame, but still, he wanted to. "I'm proud of you, Cody…you got over your fear." 

Even as Shuichi burned with happiness and Cody with obvious pride, Yuki was still troubled. Oh, it was lovely, they were all getting along just fine, Cody was fine, through only time would show it, and there was no possible way any family member would show up and be legally allowed to take him. 

But should Yamaguchi have been allowed to take Cody in the first place - so sudden, so fast? 

Frowning, Yuki wondered. The thoughts flowed through his brain, until he stood up finally, heading for the door. 

"Yuki?" 

He turned, the small voice catching his ear. Cody was looking right at him. 

"You leaving?" 

Yuki nodded. 

"To where?" The boy's curious innocence was almost too much, however, Yuki restrained himself. 

"Going to go find out why this had to happen to you at all." 

The door closed gently behind him. 

-- 

Attorneys. Who the hell needs them? Other than everybody. Yuki searched for a few hours, going from building to building, lost in a government daze. Finally, in a small office near downtown Tokyo, he found the man he wanted. Smiling coyly, the writer sat down opposite the desk. The poor guy stared back, looking helpless. 

"You organized this perol from jail, right?" 

"I did…he was innocent, all the proof was-" 

"It's your job to thoroughly analyze all data in a case like this. Especially because it was murder. It took me a few hours – a few hours! – to discover your flaw. She was left handed, you son of a bitch. There's no way she would have been able to shoot herself in the head according to your pictures. Besides, Cody testified just under an hour ago that he attempted to murder him because he was a witness to his mother's murder. You see? How long did that take me to figure out? And this isn't even my job." 

He threw the papers down on the desk, scattering them. The tiny man trembled, staring up at Yuki with a mixture of fear and disgust. 

Suddenly he realized. 

"You were with him all the time – weren't you? Helping him get out of jail." 

"I-" the man stuttered. 

"You wanted to see Cody back with his father, didn't you?" Yuki's voice was steel. "You're afraid of me, but not because I'm being intimidating…" 

The already small man shrunk to an even smaller size. 

"You're homophobic, aren't you?" 

The cold edge in Yuki's words could have sliced into the man's skin. He gave a visible shudder. Turning, Yuki snorted softly, scornfully. 

"I should have you arrested. The next time you let your fears determine whether a small boy will live or die, I hope they put you away for a long time." 

He was gone. The man slumped in his desk, breathing again. Yet he continued to tremble. 

-- 

It was nighttime when Yuki returned to the hospital room. He was almost not surprised to find it packed with people. Everyone who'd missed out at the end of the party was there, including some of Cody's old friends from the adoption agency. 

Shuichi was smiling, standing along the far wall. Yuki joined him there, lacing his fingers with the singer's and watching Cody's happiness multiply as more and more people had him open the gifts he hadn't gotten to open at the house. 

"I never got to give him my gift," Yuki mumbled softly. Shuichi turned his head, shocked. 

"You got Cody a gift?" 

"I've been buying him gifts since we got him, but I was always to bitter to bring them out. I have a pile stored somewhere in my closet. I'll take them all out when we get home. The damn kid's already being spoiled enough here." 

"I'm glad," Shuichi giggled, leaning against Yuki and kissing his cheek. "It's all he deserves." 

"Dad!" Cody's cry drifted over the sounds of his admiring friends. Shuichi looked up. "Dad, when are we going home?" The small boy quizzically tilted his head to the side. 

Shuichi smiled. 

"Soon, Cody. We're going home soon." 

--   
SAP!!!! GARRRR! *vomit* WHY SAP!! need...angst! need...blood!!! >.!!! *attacked by cute pink bunnies that kiss me all over* BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEH   


to be continued.   
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follow the arrow and click, onegai shimasu.*   
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